Journey of Pokewomen
by Martial Arts Master
Summary: In this last chapter, after a climactic final battle, Rick gains access to the Pokewomen world's most closely guarded secret: the origin of the Pokewomen themselves. Please review!
1. Prologue

Journey of Pokewomen Part 1: Prologue  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. This is the first chapter of the series, so here are the rules that I've created for the Pokewomen world:  
  
1. Pokewomen include any female animated or video game character except one from Pokemon, because some of the original Pokemon characters are going to be appearing anyway. Therefore, since some of you may not recognize the characters I use, I'll do my best to describe them well.  
2. It is legal, in the Pokewomen world, for humans to marry and mate with _only the humanoid Pokewomen._ That would include Felicia from Darkstalkers, since she's more human than cat, but it would _not_ include someone like Gatomon from Digimon, since Gatomon more closely resembles a cat than anything else.  
3. Poke Balls and Pokedexes work just like in the Pokemon world.  
4. League and gym rules are the same.  
5. There are no "types" of Pokemon. Therefore, no Pokewomen have the advantage or disadvantage against other Pokewomen, except in terms of pure strength.  
6. Pokewomen who could talk in their original incarnations can talk in the Pokewomen world.  
7. Team Rocket has the same goal in the Pokewomen world as in the Pokemon world.  
8. The population of the Pokewomen world know about planet Earth, but all they know is that whenever a female animated or video game character is created on Earth, multiple copies of that character appear as Pokewomen in the Pokewomen world, but no one knows why.  
9. The singlular form of Pokewomen is "Pokewoman".  
  
Now, with those in mind, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
At last, the big day had come. It was time for Rick to get his first Pokewoman, and then he would go on a journey to become a Pokewomen master.  
Rick loved orange, so his outfit was completely orange. His baseball cap was orange, his T-shirt was orange, his shorts were orange, even his socks and shoes were orange!  
Rick was 10 years old. He had loved Pokewomen since he was little, and now he was finally going to get the chance to train them himself.  
Before now, his mother and father had both repeatedly drilled into him that he must never, EVER, mistreat Pokewomen as some trainers did.  
Rick promised them that he wouldn't.  
He had gotten a special belt which Poke Balls would stick to.  
Rick didn't plan to catch all the Pokewomen that ever existed like some trainers did, because those trainers usually forgot that new Pokewomen would appear after they were created on Earth anyway.  
He planned to catch only six Pokewomen. That was a full belt, and that should be enough.  
He said good-bye to his mother and father, dashed upstairs to retrieve the savings of his allowance, which he'd been saving and hadn't spent any of ever since his parents had started giving him an allowance (so he had a LOT of money), and then dashed out of the house.  
  
Eventually he got to Professor Oak's house. Professor Oak was Pallet Town's leading expert on Pokewomen.  
Two other trainers were there, too. Rick didn't know them, so he didn't know their names.  
But they were both girls. That much Rick could see.  
Rick wasn't so sexist as to believe that the only reason Pokewomen were trained was to be lust objects of boys. His mother and father had told him that sometimes boys were more considerate, and sometimes girls wanted friends to share "girl talk" with. And sometimes, people just trained Pokewomen to be warriors.  
Professor Oak stepped out of the house.  
"Ah, good morning," he said.  
"Good morning, Professor Oak!" the three trainers chorused.  
"You must be here for the Pokewomen I'm giving out this year," Professor Oak said. "By all means, do come inside."  
They went inside the house.  
  
Once inside, Professor Oak gave Rick and the other two trainers each a Pokedex.  
"This Pokedex will be a valuable tool," Professor Oak said. "Just point it at a Pokewoman, and the Pokedex will tell you all about it."  
"Thank you, Professor," Rick and the other two trainers said in unison.  
The Professor then showed them to a table with three Poke Balls.  
"Each of these three Poke Balls holds a Pokewoman for you to start out with," Professor Oak said.  
He pointed to the Poke Ball on the left and said, "This one contains Saria. She looks helpless, but looks can be decieving."  
He pointed to the Poke Ball in the middle and said, "This one contains Twinrova. She is a giant Pokewomen with fire and ice powers."  
He pointed to the Poke Ball on the right and said, "This one contains Sailor Neptune. She is excellent in the water, has a mirror that can see the truth, and even has a watery attack."  
He finished by saying, "Rick, I'm afraid since you arrived last, you get last choice."  
Rick shrugged. He didn't really care which one he got.  
One of the two girls picked up the one on the right and said, "I'll take Sailor Neptune. I love water, so Sailor Neptune should be perfect."  
The other girl picked up the one in the middle and said, "I'll take Twinrova. She should kick butt in battle."  
Rick then picked up the one on the left and said, "I guess that leaves me with Saria."  
He then turned to the other trainers and said, "Hey, why don't we send our Pokewomen our right now and get information on each other's Pokewomen with our Pokedexes?"  
"Fine with me," they both said.  
"Go, Saria!" Rick said, sending out Saria. Saria turned out to be a green-haired girl with pointed ears. She was wearing a green tunic and green shorts.  
The other trainers sent out their new Pokewomen, too.  
Twinrova was HUGE, barely fitting in the room because of her height.  
Sailor Neptune was a turqoise-haired girl in a sailor "fuku". She was wearing green shoes.  
While the other two trainers pointed their Pokedexes at Saria, Rick pointed his Pokedex at Twinrova.  
The Pokedex said, "Twinrova. This is a character from an Earth video game called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In that game, Twinrova was formed when the two witches Koume and Kotake fused together. In this world, however, Twinrova is separate form Koume and Kotake. She has the ability to shoot both fire and ice."  
Rick whistled in awe and said, "Man, that's one chick I wouldn't wanna mess with."  
Then he pointed his Pokedex at Sailor Neptune.  
The Pokedex said, "Sailor Neptune. This Pokewoman is a Sailor Scout from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. Her attack is Neptune Deep Submerge, in which she throws a powerful ball of water at her opponents. She also has a mirror that will always reflect the truth. Miscellaneous skills are that she is an excellent artist and an expert at playing the violin."  
The two girls then recalled their Pokewomen, and Rick pointed his Pokedex at his own Pokewoman.  
"Saria," the Pokedex said. "This Pokewoman is from the Earth game called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She is a Kokiri elf, and she is the Sage of Forest. That gives her some degree of control over nature, but she will have complete control only if she is trained well."  
"Well, looks like last choice wasn't so bad after all," Rick said to Saria.  
"Thank you for your confidence in me," Saria said.  
Rick then recalled Saria.  
Professor Oak gave each trainer five Poke Balls.  
"Off you go now," Professor Oak said to all three humans. "Be careful on your journey. Some Pokewomen are dangerous."  
The three trainers walked out of the house.  
  
When Rick got outside, he started walking out of Pallet Town.  
It wasn't hard. There was only one path out of Pallet Town.  
He was humming to himself as he walked along the path.  
Things were going pretty well so far. Lucky for him, he was one of only three trainers to apply for a Pokewoman, and there were three Pokewomen. What a stroke of luck.  
Of course, not everything was going to be a walk in the park. Saria seemed like the kind of Pokewoman that Rick would make friends with easily, but could he make friends with any other Pokewomen he happened to catch? What if they disobeyed him?  
But he couldn't think about that right now.  
Finally, his feet got tired, and he had to take a rest. It was lunchtime anyway.  
And, as it just so happened, Rick's mother and father had packed two lunches. One for Rick to eat, and one for whoever Rick's starting Pokewoman was, which in this case was Saria.  
After these lunches, though, Rick would have to find food from the wild. Food was plentiful in the wild though, so no trainer ever died from starvation. Plus, you could win money from battles, and money could buy food from stores and fancy food places.  
Rick called out Saria.  
"Hi," Saria said. She looked around.  
"I don't see an opponent, so you didn't call me out to fight, did you?" Saria asked.  
"No, actually," Rick said. "It's time for lunch."  
He took out both lunches, which were both peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. He kept one, and he offered one to Saria.  
"Thank you," Saria said, accepting the lunch.  
After they'd both eaten their lunches, Rick asked, "So, do you have any regrets that I'm your trainer?"  
"No," Saria said. "You seem like a nice person."  
"Good," Rick said, relieved. It wouldn't do to have his first Pokewoman disobey him, so it was nice that Saria trusted him.  
That's when Rick decided to train Saria.  
"All right, Saria, first I need to see what you can already do with your Sage powers," Rick said.  
"Very well," Saria said. She turned to a tree, and she concentrated.  
The tree's branches bent a little. Then, they went back up.  
"Hmm, that's good, but if you wanna become better you'll have to get the whole tree down," Rick said.  
"Yeah, I see what you mean," Saria said. "Bending branches won't do anyone any good."  
Time passed as Rick coaches Saria to do better and better with her forest powers. Little by little, she started to be able to bend more and more of the tree.  
A half-hour passed before Saria was able to knock the tree down with her control, and even then, Saria was exhausted by the effort.  
Rick wasn't about to be so cruel as to overwork his Pokewoman.  
"Saria, take a break, we're done training for today," Rick said.  
"Thank you," Saria said, panting.  
Rick recalled Saria, and then he continued walking.  
It took until the beginning of sunset, but Rick finally reached a city.  
Relieved that he might not have to spend the night outside, Rick walked into the city.  
He read a sign that said, "Welcome to Viridian City."  
Well, obviously this meant the city Rick was in was called Viridian City.  
He may have gotten to the first city now, but he knew that this was only a small step, in the long journey that was to come...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	2. Viridian City Adventure

Journey of Pokewomen Part 2: Viridian City Adventure  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick finished a large meal with Saria, the Pokewoman he started out with thanks to Professor Oak. The meal had been bought from a fast food place.  
Saria was currently out of her Poke Ball, since she couldn't very well eat when she was cramped in that little ball.  
Rick was currently thinking about what he should do next.  
He and Saria decided to listen in on what the people at the next table were saying, so they could catch up on any news.  
"So, how have your Pokewomen been doing?" someone at the next table asked someone else.  
"Oh, they've been doing great!" the second person said. "I've come a _long_ way since I first started my Pokewomen journey, and I think I'm ready to face this city's gym leader!"  
"You sure? I hear he's pretty tough," the first person said.  
"Nah, it'll be a cinch," the second person said.  
Rick had heard enough.  
"You hear that?" he asked Saria.  
"Yes," she said. Then, she added, "I guess you'll be headed to the Viridian City Gym, right?"  
"Sure, if you think you're up to the challenge," Rick said. He had already decided that Pokewomen deserved to be treated as friends, not as servants. Anybody who forced his/her Pokewoman to do something she didn't want to was, in Rick's opinion, an (expletive deleted).  
Since Saria's personality was basically your typical "sweet little girl" personality, Saria replied, "Sure. I'm ready."  
"Excellent!" Rick said. He recalled Saria back into her Poke Ball, and left the fast food place.  
  
Rick walked around the city until he found the Viridian City Gym. He decided that he had better finish this match in a hurry, since the sun was already setting. It would soon be night, and time for bed.  
He walked towards the gym's entrance only to discover two men in Roman-style armor blocking the entrance.  
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I come to issue the gym leader a challenge for the Earth Badge!" Rick shouted. His parents had taught him about how badges worked and how you needed them to compete in the Indigo League.  
"Only trainers with seven badges may enter the gym to compete for the eighth," the two men said in unison. "Do you have seven badges?"  
Rick sweatdropped. At the moment, he didn't have _any_ badges, much less _seven_.  
"No, but this city is like nowhere _near_ anyplace really important," Rick replied. "Why should this particular gym leader demand trainers that have already earned the other seven badges?"  
"This gym leader is the toughest gym leader in the Indigo League," the men replied. Then they added, "Not everyone comes from as close to this city as Pallet Town."  
It was starting to creep Rick out that both men constantly spoke at the exact same time. How did each know what each other was going to say?  
But Rick reluctantly turned around and walked away from the gym. It was obvious that his first badge would have to come from another city's gym.  
He was walking toward a hotel when he heard people screaming.  
  
He rushed toward the sound of the screams only to discover that they came from Viridian City's Poke Center. Poke Centers were places where Pokewomen could be healed of almost anything. The service was free of charge, because Poke Centers were considered so valuable to Pokemon training that they got special funding from the governments that were in the vicinities of the Poke Centers.  
So why would people be screaming there?  
Rick rushed inside the building. He soon found out why people were screaming.  
A crowd of rough-looking men and women were inside, and they had guns. They were wearing black uniforms with red R's on them.  
Rick felt a chill as he realized who these people were. His parents had told him about these people, saying that Team Rocket was a criminal organization that was dedicated to stealing Pokewomen.  
But Rick had thought his parents had made Team Rocket up as part of an entertaining story. Now Rick knew they were all too real.  
The Team Rocket members were pointing their guns at the trainers inside the Poke Center and at a red-haired nurse.  
"Give us your Pokewomen and you won't get hurt," one of them said.  
"Yeah, don't make us shoot you," another one of them said.  
"And we'd do it, too!" yet another said.  
"And that's because," still another said.  
"We're Team Rocket!" a fifth member said.  
Rick could see by the way everyone was shaking that they were scared.  
Then Rick looked closer and noticed something. There was a logo on at least one of the guns.  
The logo looked to Rick like it said, "Parents rejoice: this is a toy."  
Come to think of it, all the guns looked like that gun.  
So Rick realized that the guns weren't real; they were toys! These people were such wimps they didn't even use real guns!  
"You're not taking these people's Pokewomen!" Rick shouted, sending out Saria.  
Saria looked at the guns and gasped, but Rick quickly whispered to her that the guns were fake. Then Saria relaxed.  
But the Team Rocket members were looking at Saria with glee, having caught sight of a Pokewoman to steal.  
"All right, guys, get her!" the leader of the group said.  
All the Team Rocket members threw away their toy guns and charged at Saria.  
"Saria, quickly, tap into your Forest Sage powers and do something about these jerks," Rick said.  
Saria nodded and concentrated, glowing green a little bit.  
Suddenly vines grew out of nowhere, tripping the Team Rocket members up.  
Rick wondered why the Team Rocket members weren't using their Pokewomen, and then he realized they probably didn't have any.  
"All right, now let's send these jerks outta here for good!" Rick shouted.  
Saria concentrated some more, and the vines wrapped around the Team Rocket members.  
Then, the vines threw the Team Rocket members through the ceiling, and through the newly-made hole, Rick could see that they were thrown over the horizon.  
Before they disappeared completely, Rick heard them all say, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"  
Then they were gone.  
The trainers all sighed with relief.  
Saria, having not been trained well enough to be able to use her powers well yet, nearly fell over from exhaustion.  
Rick had to catch her, much to his embarassment.  
The red-haired nurse laughed.  
"I was trying to decide how to repay you for getting rid of Team Rocket, but I think I can see how now," she said. "Recall her back into her Poke Ball and place it on my machine, and I'll have her fixed up for you."  
"Thank you," Rick said, doing as he was told. After putting the Poke Ball on the machine, he asked the nurse, "What's your name?"  
"My name is Nurse Joy," the red-haired nurse replied. "In fact, I'm just one member of an extremely large family. The family is so large you'll find an identical Nurse Joy in every Poke Center. I'm telling you that so you don't mistake the others for me."  
Members of the family that all looked exactly the same? Personally Rick thought that was a little weird, but he thought that since he didn't know the family personally, who was he to question it?  
Suddenly the machine beeped.  
"That sound means that your Pokewoman has been healed completely," Nurse Joy said.  
"Thanks!" Rick said, picking the ball up off the machine.  
He looked outside and was surprised to see it was nighttime already.  
"I think you better get to a hotel and get to bed," Nurse Joy said.  
Rick took Nurse Joy's advice and went outside.  
  
He found a hotel pretty quickly, and he went inside the hotel.  
Once he found the receptionist, he asked her, "May I have a room, please?"  
The receptionist typed something into the computer and said, "Yes, there is a vacancy. Follow me, I'll show you to your room."  
Rick was shown to his room. The room had seven beds in it, much to Rick's surprise. Then he figured out that one bed was for a trainer to sleep in, and each other bed was for a Pokewoman to sleep in.  
He called out Saria, and invited her to sleep on one of the beds.  
After Saria climbed into that bed, she fell asleep pretty quickly.  
Rick climbed into another bed, and he, too, soon fell fast asleep...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	3. Pixie And The Samurai

Journey of Pokewomen Part 3: Pixie And The Samurai  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was morning, and Rick was walking along the path out of Viridian City, with Saria in her Poke Ball.  
Earlier, Rick and Saria had awakened and had ordered room service for breakfast. Rick had then paid for both the room service and the stay at the hotel.  
Now, he was travelling to Viridian Forest, which he had been told had to be travelled through to get to the next city.  
Pretty soon, Rick reached the Viridian Forest. He went in.  
  
As Rick went deeper into the forest, it got a little dark, since not as much sunlight could penetrate the trees.  
Rick was looking for a Pokewoman to catch, but first, he intended to train Saria some more so that she wouldn't get so exhausted every time she used her powers.  
He called Saria out of her Poke Ball.  
"What is it?" Saria asked.  
"We're gonna train so you don't get tired just by using your Forest Sage powers," Rick said.  
Saria nodded, and Rick began the training.  
  
A half-hour later...  
  
It took a while, but eventually, after having to repeatedly awaken Saria, Rick managed to train her enough so she could stay awake after using her powers to control nature.  
Rick was glad. Some trainer _he_ would be if he let his Pokewoman overwork herself.  
That's when Rick caught sight of something pink out of the corner of his eye. He turned around.  
He saw a flying woman with pink fur on some parts of her. There were little winglets growing out of her head, and she had large purple wings growing out of her back. She had red hair.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the woman, who he had by now figured out was a Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Pixie. This is a character from Earth games and TV show called Monster Rancher. She can throw lightning and energy ball attacks, and perhaps other, unknown powers. She is loyal, but only to those who treat her right, as she has a grudge against disrespectful trainers."  
Well _I_ have nothing to worry about, Rick thought. I wouldn't mistreat my Pokewomen.  
He turned to Saria and said, "Saria, it's time to make a new friend!"  
Saria got what Rick meant and turned to face Pixie.  
"Saria, trap her!" Rick said.  
Saria concentrated, and vines grew out of nowhere and entangled Pixie.  
But Pixie wouldn't be caught without a fight. She hurled an energy ball and tore the vines loose, then flew away.  
"Don't let her get away!" Rick shouted.  
Saria concentrated again, and more trees sprang up than before, blocking Pixie's path.  
Pixie turned around angrily.  
"Well, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Pixie shouted, hurling lightning at Saria.  
Saria concentrated some more and grew another tree, blocking the lightning. Then, she sent the tree flying at Pixie, knocking her down.  
"Poke Ball go!" Rick cried out, throwing one of the five Poke Balls he'd received from Professor Oak. The ball hit Pixie and zapped her inside.  
The Poke Ball began shaking repeatedly, and the button glowed red. Rick waited anxiously to see what would happen.  
Apparently Saria had hit Pixie with the tree harder than Rick had thought, because the ball stopped shaking, the light went off, and there was a beep. Pixie had been successfully caught.  
"YAHOO!" Rick shouted, picking up the Poke Ball proudly. "I got Pixie!"  
Saria smiled.  
"Glad to be of help," she said.  
"First things first, though," Rick said. "The Pokedex says she has a grudge against abusive trainers, so I gotta convince her that I'm not abusive."  
Rick called Pixie out of the Poke Ball.  
"What do YOU want?" Pixie asked angrily. "You caught me, ok?"  
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm always gonna treat you right," Rick said.  
"I'd rather hear that from the green-haired chick over there," Pixie said, giving a nod to Saria's direction. "You trained her, so she should tell me how you train."  
"Don't mistrust Rick," Saria said. "He really is a nice guy. Get to know him and see."  
Pixie thought a minute.  
Then she nodded.  
"Ok, I'll trust you," Pixie said.  
"Glad to hear it!" Rick said, giving Pixie a hug. Before Pixie could react, Rick recalled her.  
"All right, we need to get to the next city, so in you go," Rick continued, recalling Saria.  
Rick continued walking along the path in the Viridian Forest.  
He wondered if he would succeed in getting to the next city by lunchtime.  
He started to whistle as he walked. It wasn't every day you were able to capture a new Pokewoman.  
That's when somebody jumped at him and pointed a sword at him.  
"YAAAAAAAH!" Rick screamed.  
"Be silent! Do you come from Pallet Town?" the person asked. He was a boy dressed in samurai armor.  
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Rick said. "Now put the sword away!"  
"Gladly," the boy said. He sheathed his sword. "I am Samurai, and I challenge all who come from Pallet Town. It is my personal duty to give every Pallet Town trainer their very first battle."  
Rick was excited. A Pokewomen battle! Now he'd get to see how good he was.  
"All right, I accept your challenge!" Rick said.  
  
They headed to a clearing in the Viridian Forest so there would be room to battle.  
"Now, prepare to face my Pokewoman," Samurai said. He threw a Poke Ball and said, "Bunnie Rabbot, assume battle mode!"  
A rabbit that walked on two legs came out of the Poke Ball. Two _metal_ legs, to be exact. One of her arms was also metallic.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at Bunnie Rabbot.  
The Pokedex said, "Bunnie Rabbot. This is a character from a cartoon on Earth called Sonic the Hedgehog. Parts of her are metal because an evil villain named Dr. Robotnik partially 'roboticized' her, or partly turned her into a robot. Fortunately her head, chest, and one of her arms is still flesh, and she is loyal to whomever trains her. She is extremely strong, is capable of extending her metallic limbs, and she has a Southern accent."  
"Sounds like a tough cookie," Rick said. He got ready one of his own Pokewomen.  
"Go, Pixie!" he said, sending out Pixie.  
"I know for a fact you can't start with Pixie in Pallet Town. Did you just capture her in this forest?" Samurai asked.  
"Yeah, why?" Rick asked back.  
"Only a novice sends out a Pokewoman that has never been trained! Your blunder will cost you dearly!" Samurai said.  
Bunnie charged at Pixie, ready to punch her lights out.  
"Pixie, fly away!" Rick shouted.  
Pixie flew up into the air, and Bunnie ended up charging under her.  
"Flight won't save you!" Samurai cried out. Then he commanded, "Bunnie, extend your legs and catch her!"  
"Will do!" Bunnie said, her Southern accent evident. She extended her legs, and since she was still standing on the ground, the rest of Bunnie's body was propelled upwards towards Pixie.  
"Pixie, metal conducts electricity! You should know what to do!" Rick shouted.  
Pixie sent some lightning towards Bunnie. Rick was right. The lightning hit the metal limbs, and since metal conducts electricity, the electricity got conducted into the flesh part of Bunnie, shocking her into unconsciousness. The legs un-extended themselves.  
Samurai recalled Bunnie.  
"You handle your Pixie so well, just after she was caught. You aren't a novice after all," Samurai admitted.  
Then he continued, "Just stay on the path, and you'll get to Pewter City. I've heard Viridian City's gym requires seven badges, so you'll have to get your first badge from Pewter City's gym leader."  
"Thanks!" Rick said. He then said to Pixie, "Great job! You've won me my first battle! I'm proud of you."  
Just before he recalled her, he saw a pleased look on Pixie's face. Then he recalled her.  
As he was continuing on the path, he was looking forward to getting his first badge...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	4. Stone Showdown

Journey of Pokewomen Part 4: Stone Showdown  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
After a while, Rick finally arrived at Pewter City. First, of course, he got Saria and Pixie healed at the Poke Center.  
Then, he went to a fast food place. That's when he felt something in his pocket.  
He looked down and saw some money in there.  
He slapped his forehead. Of course! He had forgotten to ask the Samurai for money after the victory, so the Samurai had been nice enough to slip money into his pocket while he wasn't looking.  
He went inside the fast food place and called out Saria and Pixie.  
After ordering lunch for himself and his two Pokewomen, and after they'd started eating lunch, they overheard some people talking.  
"Wouldn't you know it, I thought I could beat the Pewter City gym leader, but his Pokewoman kicked Minnie Mouse's butt," a girl said.  
"Yeah, I tried to beat him, too, but Batgirl couldn't beat his Pokewoman," a boy said.  
"Well whaddya expect?" another boy asked. "He may be the easiest gym leader in the Indigo League, but he's better than any beginner," another boy said.  
"Heh. Sounds like the gym leader in this city's a tough cookie," Pixie said. "You sure you're up to using us to battle him?"  
"Yeah, piece of cake!" Rick replied. "He may be a tough cookie, but he's also the easiest gym leader in the Indigo League."  
"It's nice to see that you're confident," Saria said, smiling.  
"You know, I was wrong about my first impression about you," Pixie said to Rick. "Most trainers give their Pokewomen that gross Pokewomen food, because Pokewomen food is even cheaper than human food. But you're sharing human food with us, because you know we're humanoid. I guess you're not such a bad trainer after all."  
"Well, better late than never," Rick teased.  
After they all finished their lunch, Rick recalled Saria and Pixie and went out of the fast food place.  
  
Rick finally got to a building that had a sign on it that said, "**Pewter City Gym**". "This must be the place," Rick said to himself.  
He threw open the doors and stepped inside.  
  
The place was a tiny bit dark, but it had lights overhead.  
There was also an automatic sprinkler system, and the ground was covered with an artificial rocky field.  
"Hello, is anybody there?" Rick shouted out. "I am Rick, from Pallet Town! I wish to challenge the gym leader to a match!"  
Another light clicked on, revealing a tan-skinned boy wearing a green and orange shirt with brown pants.  
"I am Brock, the Pewter City gym leader," the boy said. "Because I am a gym leader, under Indigo League rules, I have no choice but to accept your challenge."  
Rick was relieved. He had privately been worried that this gym leader might not think him worthy enough to accept his challenge, but if gym leaders were forbidden to _refuse_ challenges, Rick needn't worry about not getting to battle.  
"I specialize in Pokewomen that can use rocks for attacks," Brock continuned. "I've always had a fascination for rocks."  
"All right, let's battle!" Rick said.  
"Since I only have one Pokewoman, this will be a one-on-one battle," Brock said. (Author's Note: I know that in the Pokemon world it's two-on-two, but I could only think of one Pokewoman that has the capability to use rocks for attacks.)  
"Fine," Rick said. He called out Saria, saying, "Go, Saria!"  
Saria came out of her Poke Ball. As usual, her personality was bright enough so that she was smiling.  
"Here we go, Earth Card!" Brock said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
An entirely brown girl came out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick was confused. It couldn't be this easy. This girl had to have some sort of weapon.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the girl.  
The Pokedex said, "Earth Card. This character comes from the Japanese version of an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. She is actually a spirit who can control the ground and rocks. Her only weakness is that, unlike regular earthquakes, her powers have absolutely no effect on trees."  
"You heard the Pokedex, Saria, surround the Earth Card with trees!" Rick said.  
Saria concentrated, and suddenly small trees sprang up around the Earth Card.  
Brock chuckled.  
"Trying to take advantage of her weakness? Well it won't work," Brock said. "I never use the ground aspect of her powers, I just use the rock aspect. Earth Card, get over those trees!"  
Earth Card jumped up, turned herself into a rock, and sailed over the trees, crashing into Saria.  
Saria stumbled, but easily recovered.  
"Saria, trap her with vines!" Rick said.  
Saria grew some vines and wrapped them around Earth Card.  
"Earth Card, get out from those vines," Brock commanded.  
Earth Card made some sharp rocks appear out of nowhere, using them to cut the vines.  
"Now pulverize her!" Brock said.  
Earth Card started throwing lots of rocks at Saria.  
Saria wasn't very fast, and she couldn't dodge the rocks. She was beaten up pretty badly, and she fell, down but not out.  
"Now..._crush_ her," Brock said.  
Earth Card made a really _big_ rock appear, and held it high over her head.  
Rick knew he had to think of something fast.  
He became aware that it was really hot on his back.  
He wondered why, until he turned around.  
He'd left the doors open! So since it was only a little past noon, the sun was shining high in the sky.  
_The sun..._Rick thought.  
Long ago, he'd heard something about how the chlorophyll in plants could absorb sunlight as energy to make food for the plants.  
Saria couldn't do that, of course, but since she was the Forest Sage, maybe she could do something _else_ with that energy.  
"Saria, absorb the sunlight!" Rick shouted.  
Saria looked confused, and Rick said, "Just do it!"  
Saria obediently started absorbing the sunlight. She glowed green.  
The Earth Card, meanwhile, was walking towards Saria, huge rock held high.  
When the Earth Card reached Saria, she got ready to crush her with the rock.  
"Now, release the energy towards the Earth Card and the rock!" Rick cried out.  
Saria concentrated, and BOOM! Green energy poured out of her and shot at Earth Card and the rock.  
The rock was disintegrated, and the Earth Card was knocked flat on her back, unconscious.  
"Oh no!" Brock shouted in dismay, recalling the Earth Card.  
Brock then sighed.  
"A victory is a victory, so here's your Boulder Badge," Brock said, tossing Rick the Boulder Badge.  
The Boulder Badge looked, naturally, like a boulder.  
"All right!" Rick said. "I got the Boulder Badge!"  
Saria, meanwhile, had gotten up, and Rick surprised her by darting forward and giving her a hug.  
Saria looked pleased, and then Rick recalled her.  
Rick left the gym, and he knew that although he had won his first badge, this was by no means a major victory.  
The battle had been tough, and this was against the _easiest_ of the gym leaders.  
If the easiest of the gym leaders fought like that, who knows how the harder gym leaders would fight?  
Rick knew he still had a lot of work to do before he could become a Pokewomen master...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	5. Inque In Mount Moon

Journey of Pokewomen Part 5: Inque In Mount Moon  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick ventured out of Pewter City, hoping to get to the next city before nighttime arrived and he had to go to sleep.  
As usual, he stayed on the path. Almost every other trainer ventured off the path for various reasons, like catching a Pokemon or getting lost, and their journeys ended up taking over a year before they managed to get all 8 badges. If Rick stayed on the path, he might be able to get all 8 badges in a month.  
Some little kid challenged Rick, but since the little kid only had Cruella De Vil, from 101 Dalmatians, Rick beat him easily and won some money.  
Good thing, too, for Rick had spent quite a lot so far. He could use the money.  
He walked on, whistling.  
He then came to a mountain, and the entrance to the mountain had a Poke Center next to it.  
Rick healed his Pokewomen there just as insurance, and then checked around the entrance to the mountain.  
He discovered a sign.  
The sign said, "Entrance to Mount Moon."  
Mount Moon, Rick thought. So that's the name of this mountain.  
Rick wondered briefly how the mountain got that name, but then he shrugged, going inside.  
  
The inside of the mountain was like a cave, but fortunately not as dark.  
Rick continued on, reflecting on how dull it was to do all this walking.  
But then, not all of Pokewomen training was glamorous.  
He walked on, but then something blocked his path.  
He took a closer looked. It, or rather _she_, was completely black, except for her face, which wasn't really a face but rather a gigantic white spot.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Inque. This is a villain from the Earth TV show called Batman Beyond. She is made up of solid ink, which she can completely control. She has a human form which she seldom assumes. Her only real weakness is water, which can break her apart."  
"All right, I gotta catch her!" Rick said to himself.  
"Go ahead and try, loser!" Inque said.  
"How dare you call me loser! Go, Pixie!" Rick shouted, sending out Pixie.  
Pixie and Inque looked at each other with disdain.  
Inque made the first move. She turned one of her arms into a tentacle, grabbing Pixie and throwing her against a wall.  
Pixie got up and shot an energy ball at Inque. Inque turned into an ink puddle and went under the ball, sliding at Pixie.  
Pixie flew up, and Inque slid under her.  
Then, Pixie tossed some lightning at Inque just as she was reforming back into her real self, and Inque was damaged by the electricity.  
Inque stumbled around, a little groggy.  
"Go, Poke Ball!" Rick said, throwing the second of the five Poke Balls Professor Oak had given him.  
The Poke Ball hit Inque and zapped her inside.  
A tense moment followed. The Poke Ball shook back and forth violently as Inque tried to free herself, and the white button in the middle glowed red.  
Finally the Poke Ball stopped shaking. Inque had been caught.  
"All right!" Rick cheered, picking up the Poke Ball and dancing around in triumph.  
Pixie smiled, sharing in the triumph, since she'd helped Rick to catch Inque.  
"Good job, Pixie," Rick said to her. Then, Rick recalled Pixie.  
Rick continued walking on.  
It took a long time, and when he finally came out of Mount Moon, Rick was astonished to see that it was already sunset.  
Mount Moon must have been even bigger than Rick thought.  
Rick saw a city up ahead, and he rushed towards it, heading towards the next part of his adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	6. Water War

Journey of Pokewomen Part 6: Water War  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
As Rick got into the city, he saw a sign.  
The sign said, "You are in Cerulean City."  
It was already sunset, and it was time for Rick to get some dinner for himself and for his Pokewomen.  
He went into a fast-food place and bought some dinner.  
He sent out Saria, Pixie, and his newly caught Inque.  
Rick set the dinner down on the table.  
"I don't eat," Inque said. "I'm made of ink, remember? Or are you such a loser that you forgot that?"  
Rick would have snapped at her, but then he rememberd that she was a villain in the Earth TV show called Batman Beyond. So of course she would have a nasty personality.  
Well, she'd probably get a better attitude after being around me, he thought.  
Since Inque didn't eat, Rick split the dinner meant for her between himself, Saria, and Pixie.  
Then, they overheard people talking at the next table.  
"Yeesh, you wouldn't believe the butt-kicking I got at the hands of the gym leader in this city," one boy said.  
"Yeah, I managed to beat her, but only _just barely_," a girl replied. "She's even harder than Brock was!"  
"Sounds like this gym leader's pretty tough," Rick said to Saria, Pixie, and Inque.  
"Oh don't worry, I think we can manage," Saria said sweetly.  
"Yeah, I hope," Pixie said.  
"I bet I could beat her single-handedly," Inque said, looking as bored as it was possible for someone with a gigantic white spot for a face to look.  
Soon, they finished their dinner, and Rick recalled Saria, Pixie, and Inque.  
He rushed out of the fast-food place and headed towards the Cerulean City Gym.  
  
He stepped inside, and was surprised.  
There was a show going on.  
There were three girls. One had blond hair and was wearing a red one-piece swimsuit.  
The second had blue hair and was wearing a green one-piece swimsuit.  
The third had pink hair and was wearing a yellow one-piece swimsuit.  
They were performing synchronized swimming tricks in the water.  
Finally, the girls finished their tricks, and the audience started clapping.  
The girls got out of the water, and they bowed. Then, they left through a back door.  
Rick rushed after them before the door closed, and managed to step in the room they were in.  
The girls turned around.  
"What are you doing here?" the blond one asked.  
"He probably wants an autograph," the blue-haired one said. "As if we ever give autographs."  
"I don't want an autograph," Rick said.  
Before he could say anything else, the pink-haired one said, "Call our manager if you're looking for an interview."  
"I don't want a stupid interview!" Rick shouted. "I'm just looking for the Cerulean City gym leader."  
"Oh, that would be the runt," the blond-haired one said. She called out, "Misty, come here please!"  
A redheaded girl walked up. She looked younger than the three girls. She was wearing a yellow shirt with suspenders and blue shorts.  
"Yeah, what do you want?" she asked.  
"This is our little sister," the blue-haired girl said. "Her name is Misty. She's the gym leader here."  
The pink-haired girl said to Misty, "This boy would like to challenge you to a gym match."  
"Fine, fine," Misty said irritably. "Let's wait for the audience to clear up, and then we'll get started."  
  
Five minutes later...  
  
Rick was standing on a platform in the pool that the girls had performed in.  
Misty was standing on a platform at the other side of the pool.  
"I should warn you that I'm an expert at using Pokewomen that specialize in water," Misty said.  
Rick sweatdropped. He had wanted to test out Inque, but he remembered that the Pokedex had said that water would break Inque apart.  
Inque would just have to wait until another battle.  
"How many Pokewomen do we use to battle?" Rick asked.  
"Two against two works fine with me!" Misty said.  
Rick nodded. This would be a tough fight, if what he'd heard about Misty being harder than Brock was true.  
The fight against Brock had been tough. This would be tougher.  
"Go, Pixie!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
Pixie flew up into the air, stretching briefly.  
"In that case, I call...Princess Ruto!" Misty shouted, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A cross between a fish and a human girl came out of the Poke Ball, landing on a platform separate from Rick and Misty.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the girl.  
The Pokedex said, "Princess Ruto. She is from an Earth video game called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She is from a species called Zora, who can survive both on land and in water but prefer water. She is the Water Sage, so she can develop control over water and other things if she is trained well."  
Rick was worried. This whole battle would take place in a pool. If Misty had trained Ruto well enough to use her powers to the fullest, Ruto would be able to control the whole battlefield!  
And this was a gym leader, and one who specialized in water at that. Of _course_ she had trained Ruto well.  
But there was no help for it now.  
Pixie threw a ball of energy at Ruto.  
"Ruto, tap into your Water Sage power and throw one right back at her!" Misty called.  
Ruto concentrated, and then threw a blue energy ball of her own at Pixie's energy ball. They both cancelled each other out.  
"Now, knock Pixie into the water!" Misty shouted.  
Ruto concentrated some more, and the water rose up into a waterspout.  
Ruto sent the waterspout at Pixie, and the waterspout tossed Pixie around for a while before dumping her in the water.  
Pixie flew right back out of the water and threw another energy ball at Ruto.  
Ruto smiled, and a blue energy wall appeared in front of her and blocked the energy ball. Then the energy wall disappeared.  
"Now, dive in! Let's see Pixie try to reach you _there_," Misty commanded.  
Ruto dived underwater.  
Rick smiled. This was just what he had been waiting for.  
"Pixie, send some lightning at the water!" Rick called.  
Pixie shot some lightning at the water.  
Once the lightning hit the water, the whole pool conducted the electricity.  
Ruto screamed, and then floated to the top of the pool, unconscious.  
Misty sighed and recalled Ruto.  
"Oh well, you may have beaten someone who can control water, but can you beat someone who _is_ water?" Misty asked.  
"Whaddya mean?" Rick asked suspiciously.  
Misty laughed and threw a Poke Ball.  
A huge girl-resembling water creature came out, immediately merging the water it was made up of with the pool.  
"What on earth is that?!" Rick shouted, pointing his Pokedex at the creature.  
The Pokedex said, "Water Card. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. Since she is water itself, she can control the water she is made up of plus any water nearby. She also has an extremely aggressive personality."  
Rick suddenly saw why Misty had saved the Water Card for last.  
Even someone who could control water, like Ruto the Water Sage, could have their concentration broken.  
But this thing _was_ water, and since it didn't have a human-level intelligence, there was no way its concentration could be broken. Put that together with its aggressive personality, and you got an extremely dangerous opponent.  
No wonder Misty was able to become a gym leader.  
"Let's pulverize it!" Misty said to the Water Card.  
The Water Card surged up, taking all the water of the pool with it. It then tried to swamp Pixie.  
Pixie flew higher into the air and managed to avoid the Water Card.  
But the Water Card wasn't finished. It repeatedly rushed at Pixie with the force of a room-sized tidal wave.  
Pixie had to fly all around the room to avoid it, and even then, it was tricky business.  
Now Rick could see Misty's strategy. If the Water Card kept Pixie fleeing, Pixie would have no time to attack. She would eventually tire herself out, and the Water Card could beat her.  
Rick had to do something to make sure Pixie had enough time to attack before the Water Card caught up to her.  
But what could he or Pixie do?  
There was only one answer. Pixie would have to attack behind her, without looking back.  
Looking back would slow her down, so she had to make the shot blind.  
If she could hit the Water Card with lightning, the Water Card would get electrocuted into unconscious, no problem. But if Pixie missed, the Water Card might get angry enough to speed up and completely overpower Pixie.  
"Pixie, attack behind you with lightning! Don't look back!" Rick called.  
"You want me to make a blind shot?" Pixie asked incredulously.  
"Just do it!" Rick shouted.  
Pixie sighed, and then extended a hand behind her and fired some lightning.  
Luckily for Rick, the Water Card was a huge target, and the lightning struck it.  
The lightning coursed through the water that made up the Water Card.  
The Water Card screamed, and then fell into the pool, unconscious.  
Misty recalled the Water Card, mad.  
"You never would have beaten me if it weren't for Pixie's lightning!" she shouted.  
"Fair is fair, I won my badge," Rick said. "Now hand it over."  
Misty tossed something over to Rick. Rick caught it and looked at it.  
It was a badge, and it was raindrop-shaped.  
"That's the Cascade Badge," Misty said. "Take it and go."  
Rick recalled Pixie, rushing out of the gym, holding up his newly-earned Cascade Badge with glee.  
However, it was nighttime now, and time for bed.  
After checking into a hotel, Rick was shown to a room.  
Like the rooms in the hotel at Pewter City, this room had seven beds; one for Rick and the other six cor Pokewomen.  
Rick sent out Saria, Pixie, and Inque.  
"All right, girls, it's nighty-night time," he said to them.  
"Fine. Good-night, Rick," Saria said.  
"G'night," Pixie said.  
"Good night, but if you try to cop a feel on me while I'm asleep, I will kill you," Inque said.  
The three Pokewomen fell asleep.  
Rick didn't understand why Inque didn't like him, but he assumed that it was because she didn't have good morals, being a villain, and therefore didn't expect other people to have good morals either.  
With a shrug, Rick got into bed too, falling asleep.  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	7. First Loss

Journey of Pokewomen Part 7: First Loss  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Morning arrived.  
Rick was the first to get up.  
He said to his Pokewomen, "Rise and shine, everyone!"  
Saria woke up, bright and chipper as usual. Pixie woke up a little groggy.  
Inque didn't wake up at all.  
"Come on, Inque, get up!" Rick shouted.  
Instantly Inque slithered out of bed and grabbed Rick.  
"Don't shout at me, loser," Inque said.  
Rick got Inque off of him, and then ordered room service to get breakfast for everyone.  
After they'd eaten breakfast, Rick recalled everyone, paid for the room service and the stay at the hotel, and then left the hotel.  
  
Rick eventually left Cerulean City, and started walking along the path to what he hoped was the next city.  
He was whistling again.  
During the course of his walk, about 10 kids challenged him, but they all had badly-trained Pokewomen, and he beat them easily.  
The last kid told him something about a kid named A.J. who was going to go on a Pokewomen journey after winning 100 battles, and so far he'd already won 98.  
Rick decided to see this kid, and he ended up at an unofficial Pokewomen gym.  
Rick was disappointed that the gym was unofficial. That meant he couldn't win a badge here.  
But maybe he could see that kid A.J. and challenge him to a match. He must be pretty tough if he had already won 98 battles.  
Someone with green hair, an orange shirt, and blue shorts walked up to Rick.  
"Are you my next victim?" the someone said. He had a Southern accent.  
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town! Are you A.J.?" Rick asked.  
"That's me!" the other person said. "Come to challenge me to a match, have you?"  
"Yeah, let's battle!" Rick said.  
"Suit yourself," A.J. said.  
He led Rick to a sandy floor where the battle would take place.  
"So, what'll happen if I break your winning streak?" Rick asked casually.  
"No problem, I'll just work up another winning streak 'til I reach 100 wins in a row," A.J. said. "And gain even more experience for my Pokewoman before going out on a journey."  
"Well, prepare to lose!" Rick said.  
He sent out Inque, saying, "Go, Inque!"  
Inque came out of her Poke Ball.  
"About time you used me for a battle," Inque said.  
"Twinrova, you're up!" A.J. said, sending out a Twinrova.  
A.J. was shocked. Twinrova, a character from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, was one of the three Pokewomen that one could start out with at Pallet Town.  
Rick had seen one of the other two girls that applied for a Pokewoman at his town take a Twinrova. Rick had even gotten some information about Twinrova from his Pokedex.  
But _this_ guy had a Twinrova too...  
Well, there was no help for it now.  
"Let's let Twinrova make the first move," Rick said to Inque.  
Inque scoffed, impatient.  
"Twinrova, burn that ink woman!" A.J. said.  
Twinrova shot some fire from one of her hands, but Inque separated into many ink tentacles, wrapping themselves around the fire and smothering it until it was put out.  
"Inque, let's knock Twinrova down!" Rick shouted.  
Inque turned one of her arms into a hammer made out of ink, and the hammer swung at Twinrova.  
But this Twinrova was well-trained, neatly side-stepping the hammer.  
"Freeze her!" A.J. commanded.  
Twinrova shot ice out of her other arm, but Inque turned into an ink ball, smashing through the ice and into Twinrova.  
Twinrova stumbled but did not fall.  
"Well, if fire and ice won't work, let's try that combination trick I taught you!" A.J. said.  
Twinrova fired both fire and ice at the same time, but instead of firing them both straight ahead, she made both fire and ice combine. The fire melted the ice, turning it into water.  
The water hit Inque and started to break her apart.  
Inque screamed, and Rick quickly recalled her so she could regroup.  
"I guess you lose," A.J. said. "That's victory number 99!"  
Rick couldn't believe it. Up to now, he'd had nothing but victories.  
But now, for the first time during his journey, he had lost a battle.  
He now realized he would have to do some serious training if he expected to win the battles again.  
"Hey you!" someone shouted from behind him.  
Rick turned around and saw a man wearing a Team Rocket uniform. This, obviously, was a Team Rocket member.  
"What do you want?" Rick and A.J. asked at the same time.  
"My teammates don't have Pokewomen of their own, but _I_ do!" the Team Rocket member said. "If I'm ever going to steal any Pokewomen, my own Pokewoman will need experience so she can beat everybody else. A.J., I challenge you to a Pokewomen battle!"  
"Fine with me, criminal," A.J. said, leading the Team Rocket member to the sandy floor. "Send out your Pokewoman, and then I'm going to get victory number 100!"  
"Go, Zira!" the Team Rocket member said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A female lioness came out, an evil look on her face.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the female lioness.  
The Pokedex said, "Zira. This is a character from an Earth video called The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. She is a villain, and a ferocious fighter."  
Twinrova, who A.J. hadn't even bothered to recall, smirked.  
"You make the first move; it doesn't matter," A.J. said.  
"Zira, tear that thing apart with your claws!" the Team Rocket member shouted.  
Zira lunged at Twinrova, but Twinrova simply kicked Zira away.  
"C'mon, Zira, tear that thing apart! Try it with your teeth this time!" the Team Rocket member commanded.  
Zira lunged at Twinrova again, but this time Twinrova shot some ice, freezing Zira solid.  
"You lose; a frozen opponent can't fight," A.J. said.  
The Team Rocket member had a look of shock on his face. He couldn't believe he had lost so quickly. The battle had ended in less than a minute.  
"You weakling," he said to Zira as he recalled her.  
Then he ran off.  
"Well, I guess that makes it victory number 100," A.J. said. He recalled Twinrova.  
"Time for me to go on my Pokemon journey," he continued.  
"I'm gonna battle you in the Indigo League someday, and I'm not gonna lose," Rick promised.  
"Suit yourself, but if we battle again you better be a better trainer," A.J. said. "I'm sick of fighting easy opponents, and I'd like a challenge."  
Then A.J. walked away from the unofficial gym to who knows where.  
Rick shrugged, and continued walking along the path.  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	8. How Not To Treat A Pokewoman

Journey of Pokewomen Part 8: How Not To Treat A Pokewoman  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
After his adventure with A.J., Rick continued to walk along the path. He hoped he could get to the next city by lunchtime.  
Yet again, he was whistling. And why not? After all, his journey had been going well so far, with the exception of that one loss to A.J.  
But then, A.J. had never lost a battle either, and he'd battled a lot more times than Rick, so Rick couldn't really feel bad about losing to him.  
He came across a rock, and someone was lying down on it.  
He stopped walking and took a closer look.  
There was a cute little pink dragon taking a nap there, with wings and yellow scales running down her back and a necklace with a badge around her neck.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the little pink dragon.  
As it turned out, the Pokedex had a _lot_ to say about this one.  
The Pokedex said, "Cassie. This character is from an Earth TV show called Dragon Tales, meant for little children. She is very loving and compassionate, and would make an excellent friend. She is shy, however, making it easy for others to take advantage of her. She sometimes suffers from lack of confidence, unable to speak up or stand up for herself, and the Dragon Badge around her neck glows whenever she is feeling confident. Although she is very young, she is also very smart. She is not good at breathing fire, but can become good at it under the guidance of a good trainer. She also can fly."  
Cassie awoke when she heard the Pokedex talking.  
"Who's there?" she asked, rubbing her eyes groggily. Then she saw Rick.  
"Oh, another trainer. I'm sorry, but I already have one," Cassie said.  
"Then what are you doing out here on this rock all alone?" Rick asked.  
"My trainer's name is Damian, and he said he had to get some supplies, and that he'd come right back for me," Cassie said. "I took a nap to pass the time."  
"Oh. Well, I hope he comes back soon," Rick said. "In the meantime, you can finish your nap."  
Then, Rick continued walking on.  
Eventually, he came to a Poke Center.  
This was good. Rick was getting tired.  
Rick went inside the Poke Center.  
  
Once he got inside, he went to a table and sat down and rest.  
He was aware that at the next table, there were quite a lot of boys.  
They seemed to be listening to one boy in particular. This boy had blue hair, had goggles on his head, had dozens of Poke Balls on the table, and was speaking with a Cockney British accent. (Author's Note: I know I said he had an Australian accent in my "Life Attempts" fic, but that offended some Australian readers, who said it was Cockney British. So now in this fic I say he's speaking with a Cockney British accent, and I do NOT intend to offend British readers, who I'm sure are very nice people.)  
"Look at all these Pokewomen I caught!" the boy boasted. "I just caught Pokewoman after Pokewoman after Pokewoman! It was easy!"  
"Wow, that's pretty cool," one of the other boys said.  
"Yo, Damian, didn't you have someone named Cassie, too?" someone asked the boy with goggles. Apparently the boy with goggles was called Damian.  
Rick realized that the boaster was the same trainer Cassie had said she belonged to!  
"Yeah, I did have Cassie once, but she was such a wimp!" Damian said. "She stinks in battle! She's so 'compassionate' that she never wants to hurt others. She can't even breathe fire very well!"  
Now Rick was paying real close attention.  
"I wanted her out of my life, so I deliberately treated her real badly," Damian continued. "But she never stood up for herself! I told you she was a wimp. So I decided to trick her by leaving her someplace, lying to her about where I'm going, and saying I'd be back. Now she's probably still waiting on that rock!"  
Rick was shocked. According to his own words, Damian had abandoned Cassie!  
Rick started to get up.  
"Heh, bet ya 10 to 1 odds that Cassie's gonna be lunch meat by this evening," another boy said. "The wild Pokewomen around here are really mean. I'll bet they're gonna tear her apart like yesterday's old paper!"  
"Yeah, for sure!" Damian said, chuckling.  
_That_ did it. Rick walked over to the next table, grabbed Damian by his shirt, and lifted him up into the air.  
"Hey, what're you doing?!" Damian asked, visibly shocked.  
"You treated her badly, you lied to her, and you abandoned her!" Rick shouted. "You don't even care if she dies, do you?!"  
"Why should I? She's such a wimp!" Damian responded.  
"And _you're_ such an idiot!" Rick shouted. He was so angry at how Damian had treated Cassie that he threw him onto the floor.  
"All right, that's it, you're going down!" Damian said.  
"Break it up, break it up!" someone said.  
Rick and Damian turned towards the new voice, and found a Nurse Joy standing right behind them.  
"What's going on here, anyway?" she asked, having apparently just gotten there.  
"He started it!" Rick and Damian both said at the same time, pointing towards each other.  
"Well, maybe you two should separate," Nurse Joy said.  
Both boys grumbled, but they walked away from each other, Damian walking away with the group of boys he'd been talking to.  
Then something struck a chord in Rick's brain.  
One boy had said the wild Pokewomen might tear Cassie to pieces.  
It occured to Rick that Cassie was in danger.  
Rick rushed out of the Poke Center.  
  
It turned out Rick was right to do so. When he got back the rock Cassie had been sleeping on, he found Cassie being viciously attacked by a black lady with wings.  
The lady kept shouting "Darkness Wave!" and sending out bats at Cassie. Cassie was able to fly away from them so far, but she was getting tired.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the black lady.  
The Pokedex said, "LadyDevimon. This character is from an Earth TV show and video games called Digimon. She is evil, can fly, and her attack is Darkness Wave, in which she sends bats at her opponents."  
But Rick had wasted precious time finding out more about LadyDevimon.  
One of the Darkness Waves caught up to Cassie, knocking her to the ground.  
The bats had wounded her, and she was unconscious, bleeding.  
"Inque, drive LadyDevimon away!" Rick said, sending out Inque.  
Inque turned herself into an ink hammer, knocking LadyDevimon over the horizon.  
Rick recalled Inque and picked up Cassie, taking her to the Poke Center.  
  
When he got there, Nurse Joy saw a wounded, unconscious, and bleeding Cassie in Rick's arms, and gasped.  
"What happened to her?" Nurse Joy asked.  
"I'll explain later. Quickly, you've got to help her!" Rick added.  
"I'll do my best," Nurse Joy said, bringing Cassie to the ER room.  
  
Later...  
  
Nurse Joy came out of the ER room.  
"Cassie will be just fine," Nurse Joy said. "But how did she get like this? Did you battle a brutal trainer?"  
"No, this is Damian's Pokewoman," Rick said, and then he went on to relate what Damian had said about treating Cassie badly, lying to her, and then abandoning her.  
Nurse Joy shook her head sadly.  
"It's always sad when trainers mistreat their Pokewomen just because they're not 'strong'," Nurse Joy said.  
Nurse Joy chanced to look back inside the ER room and gasped.  
"She's gone!" Nurse Joy said. "Cassie must have flown out the window as soon as she was well again!"  
Rick wondered why Cassie would have done that, then realized that she must have gone back to the rock to wait for Damian.  
Rick rushed out of the Poke Center.  
  
When he got to the rock, sure enough, the little pink dragon was there, sitting this time instead of sleeping.  
"What are you doing back here?" Rick asked rhetorically.  
"I'm waiting for Damian," Cassie said.  
"Is it true that he mistreats you?" Rick demanded.  
"Not really," Cassie said. "He does yell at me a lot, but I'm sure he just wants what's best for me."  
Then she looked sad.  
"At least, I think," she said.  
Then she brightened up.  
"Yeah, he'll be back," she said. "He probably misses me already.  
As the Pokedex had said, Cassie was being compassionate, trying to guess what Damian was feeling.  
But in Rick's opinion, Cassie was a little _too_ loving and compassionate. She needed to stand up for herself more often.  
"Cassie, I got news for you," Rick began, preparing to explain to her the truth about Damian.  
Then, an all too familiar Cockney British voice cut in, "So there you are, you orange-clad troublemaker!"  
Rick spun around and saw Damian waiting, along with his whole gang.  
"You shouldn't have messed with me," Damian said. "Now I'm going to have to hurt you."  
Rick looked around and noticed Damian's gang gathering in a circle around him and Damian, leaving Cassie out of the circle.  
Suddenly Damian pulled a knife.  
He got ready to lunge at Rick, ready to hurt him really badly.  
"No, don't hurt him!" Cassie shouted. "He didn't mean to offend you, really!"  
"Shut up!" Damian screamed at her. "I don't let troublemakers mess with me and get away with it.  
Damian rushed at Rick, but Cassie made up her mind.  
She flew into the circle, standing between Damian and Rick.  
"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Damian demanded.  
"Look, I don't care how you treat me, 'cause I know you want what's best for me," Cassie said, "but I won't let you hurt someone else."  
"I _don't_ want what's best for you!" Damian screamed. "I never cared about a wimp like you! I treated you badly so you'd leave! For your information, I lied about coming back. I never would have come back! I abandoned you, you stupid dragon!"  
Cassie gasped, eyes welling up with tears at knowing the truth.  
But now Rick had taken advantage of Damian being busy yelling at Cassie.  
Rick shoved Damian to get him off-balance, and then slapped the knife out of his hand, pinning it to the ground with his foot.  
Now Damian, unarmed, was terrified.  
"No, please don't hurt me!" he said.  
"Why should I show you mercy, when you showed Cassie none?" Rick demanded. "I'll go ahead and show you mercy, but only because that makes me better than you."  
Rick turned his back, and Damian ran away, his gang dispelling the circle and following him.  
Rick and Cassie were left alone.  
"He planned to leave me behind...maybe I really am a wimp," Cassie said.  
"No Pokewoman is a wimp if trained well," Rick said. "You shouldn't listen to jerks like Damian."  
Cassie thought this over.  
Then she brightened and nodded.  
"Yeah, you're right, I'm no wimp," Cassie said. Then the Dragon Badge around her neck started glowing.  
Rick remembered how the Pokedex had said the Dragon Badge would glow whenever she felt confident.  
"If you go back to the wild you'll be torn to pieces," Rick said, bringing out one of his empty Poke Balls, "so how about coming with me? I never yell at my Pokewomen, and I treat them as friends, not like servants."  
Cassie nodded, looking happy. Apparently this was the first real kindness a trainer had ever shown her.  
"Poke Ball, go!" Rick said, throwing the Poke Ball.  
The Poke Ball zapped Cassie inside. This time, the ball didn't even rock back and forth, because Cassie wasn't even struggling to get out.  
So now, Rick was feeling happy. He now had his fourth Pokewoman. All he needed was two more, and he'd have a full team of six...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	9. Wanted: Alive

Journey of Pokewomen Part 9: Wanted: Alive  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
For once, Rick _wasn't_ walking along the path to the next city. He'd checked his watch, and he had plenty of time before lunchtime. He could afford to take a rest, and he was taking a rest right now.  
He'd let out all his Pokewomen to let them breathe fresh air.  
Saria, Pixie, and Inque had crowded around Cassie, taking a good look at the newcomer to their team.  
"You know, you're very lucky to have a trainer like Rick," Saria said. "He takes very good care of us."  
"He may not be the best, but he's good enough for me," Pixie said.  
Cassie looked happy to be a part of the team.  
Then Inque piped up, "Though I don't see why he'd waste his time with a weakling like _you_."  
"Inque!!!" Saria and Pixie both shouted.  
"It's true! She can't even breathe fire very well!" Inque said.  
"Yeah, that's true," Cassie said sadly. "I'm probably not a very good Pokewoman."  
"You're still very young," Saria said reassuringly. "You'll get better."  
"I hope so," Cassie said.  
"Hey girls!" Rick called. "It's time to train! You wanna be in tip-top shape, right?"  
"Training? Damian never bothered to train me," Cassie said, surprised. "He usually just used me in battle, and yelled at me when I lost."  
"Well, apparently Rick isn't like that," Pixie said.  
Rick lined his four Pokewomen up.  
He started off with all sorts of exercises, including push-ups, sit-ups, etc.  
He did the exercises along with them, of course. He had to, or they would have viewed him as someone who made others do what he wouldn't do himself.  
Then, he started training them individually.  
He had Saria work on her Sage of Forest powers, helping her to be able to use them without getting tired.  
He had Pixie do flying drills, having her fly all over the place, working on her speed. In Rick's opinion, she had to get faster than when she had been facing Misty's Water Card, that had been too close a call.  
He had Inque work on her shapeshifting skills, hoping to help her increase the speed at which she could control the ink she was made up of.  
He had Cassie do flying drills just like Pixie. Cassie had to be fast to compensate for her weak fire-breathing ability. If Cassie was faster, she might be able to win close-distance battles by charging through the air and ramming into opponents.  
Finally, when all but Inque were exhausted but in shape, Rick stopped the training.  
"How do you feel?" he asked them.  
"Like I'm going to drop, but from now on not from using my powers," Saria said.  
"I'm tired out, but I feel more in shape then ever," Pixie said.  
"I can't get tired, loser, I'm made of semi-solid ink," Inque said, "and ink doesn't even have nerves in it. So I might be knocked unconscious, but it wouldn't be painful."  
That's when a little boy ran up to Rick.  
"You better be careful out here," the little boy said. "There's a really dangerous Pokewoman wandering around. Everyone's tried to catch her, but no one's succeeded. You might say she's Wanted: Alive. I tried to catch her myself, but DeeDee, from that Earth TV show called Dexter's Laboratory, couldn't even land a hit on her."  
"Sounds like someone I'll try to catch myself!" Rick said.  
"Good luck, you'll need it," the little boy said, and then ran off.  
Rick shrugged.  
"Well, girls, you might be getting a new friend soon, if I can catch her," Rick said to his Pokewomen.  
"Well, we're surrounded by trees, so I could probably beat this mysterious wild Pokewoman," Saria said.  
"But you're too much of a 'nice girl' to be aggressive enough in battle," Pixie said. "Rick should use _me_ to catch this Pokewoman."  
"Even you have your soft side, you fairy," Inque said snidely. "I, on the other hand, am completely ruthless, not caring about anybody. I only obey Rick because he caught me fair and square."  
Cassie, as usual, didn't have a lot of self-confidence.  
"You girls have all those special powers, but I couldn't beat this Pokewoman," Cassie said.  
"Of course you couldn't, you baby," Inque said.  
Rick sensed an argument coming, so he quickly recalled them.  
That's when an ice shard headed towards Rick. Rick quickly ducked, and turned around to see who had fired it.  
He saw a white-haired girl wearing a light-blue jumpsuit.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Birdie. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. Her Japanese name is Beruche. She can shoot ice shards, can freeze the opponent, can freeze herself, and can trap the opponent in a floating black ball. She used to be a villain, but she has reformed."  
"All right, this must be the dangerous wild Pokewoman that little kid was talking about!" Rick shouted with glee.  
"Ho hum, another trainer, another Pokewoman to battle and gain experience," Birdie said, bored. "I just threw that ice shard to get your attention."  
Rick thought a minute. Cassie had lost all her battles because Damian had never trained her properly, but Rick had trained her just a few minutes ago. And Cassie needed to feel confident in herself. She was loving and compassionate, but she was just too shy for her own good.  
"Go, Cassie!" Rick said, sending out Cassie.  
The cute little pink-with-yellow-back-scales dragon took a look at Birdie.  
"She doesn't look very hard to beat," Cassie said, feeling better.  
"Wanna bet?" Birdie asked, throwing dozens of ice shards at Cassie.  
Cassie gasped and quickly flew up into the air, avoiding the shards. Apparently the training had done some good after all.  
"All right, I'm gonna put you on ice!" Birdie said, firing more ice at Cassie. This ice wasn't in shards, so Rick guessed that this ice was supposed to freeze its target.  
"Cassie, spin away!" Rick shouted.  
Cassie did a little pirouette, narrowly avoiding the ice.  
"You're better than you look," Birdie said.  
"Now, ram into her! Full speed!" Rick said.  
Cassie flew through the air at high speed, charging at Birdie with the new speed she had gained from Rick's training.  
Birdie was so shocked at this speed coming from a helpless-looking opponent that she didn't dodge, and Cassie ended up ramming into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.  
She doubled over, gasping.  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Cassie said, immediately the compassionate one. "Take deep breaths, you'll get better."  
"Cassie, this is no time for helping others!" Rick said. "I'm trying to catch this Pokewoman!"  
Eventually Birdie got over it and stood up.  
"You're the only opponent I've met who's nice even to enemies, but that won't save you," Birdie said to Cassie, firing more ice shards at her.  
"Cassie, try to breathe fire!" Rick said. "I know you're not very good at it, but you need to practice!"  
"Okay," Cassie said nervously. She took a deep breath and tried to breathe fire. Only a few sparks came out, but they burned up the ice shards anyway.  
"Now ram into Birdie again!" Rick said.  
Cassie charged through the air at Birdie again, going even faster. Birdie tried to dodge this time, but once again, Rick's exhausting training paid off, and Cassie rammed full-force into Birdie's head, knocking her out."  
"Poke Ball, go!" Rick said, throwing one of his two unused Poke Balls.  
The Poke Ball struck Birdie's unconscious body and zapped her inside. It was no contest with Birdie unconscious, and Birdie was caught.  
Cassie didn't comprehend it at first, but it dawned on her.  
"I won a battle..." she said slowly. Then, louder, almost cheering, "I won a battle! I actually won a battle!"  
Then she surprised Rick by giving him a hug.  
"I never won a battle while Damian was my trainer! I'm lucky to have you for a trainer now!" Cassie said.  
Rick was a little embarassed, but he patted Cassie on the head and recalled her.  
He continued walking on the path to the next city, heading towards his next adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	10. Anita

Journey of Pokewomen Part 10: Anita  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was training his Pokewomen some more, even Birdie, who he had caught not too long ago. (Author's Note: In fact he only caught Birdie in the last chapter.)  
He was working on the same things as he did the last time he trained them.  
Also, just like last time, he trained them until they were exhausted, but then gave them a rest.  
As they were resting, Rick was thinking about how all this training would pay off eventually.  
He'd eventually get to the third gym, and if the pattern continued like it had so far, Lt. Surge would be even tougher to beat then Misty had been.  
Suddenly he heard a twig snap.  
He spun around and saw a little girl standing behind him. She had brown hair, and was wearing a white-and-blue dress.  
She was also holding a doll.  
Rick took a closer look and saw that the doll was _headless_!  
Rick was repulsed. Why on earth was this girl carrying around a headless doll?!  
Also, she was just staring at him.  
Rick was beginning to get irritated.  
"Quit _staring_ at me!" he shouted.  
The girl didn't even flinch.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the girl.  
Sure enough, she was a Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Anita. She is a character from a series of Earth video games called Darkstalkers. She is extremely quiet, not speaking often. She is wise beyond her years, and knows a lot more than she lets on. Lesser trainers are often creeped out by this girl's 'spooky little girl' personality. She has telekinetic powers, and she has an attack called "Love For You" which flings dozens of dolls' heads at an opponent."  
_Rick_ had been creeped out by Anita. Did that mean _he_ was a lesser trainer?  
No, he wasn't, and he was going to prove it.  
He recalled everyone except Birdie, who he planned to use to catch Anita.  
"All right, Birdie, let's catch ourselves another friend!" Rick said.  
"You got it," Birdie said.  
Anita still didn't move.  
"Birdie, hit her with some ice shards!" Rick said.  
Birdie flung some ice shards at Anita.  
_Now_ Anita finally did something.  
She made a gesture, and there was a blue flash.  
Suddenly the ice shards were flung right back at Birdie, but Birdie flipped out of the way.  
"Trap her in a black ball," Rick said.  
Birdie concentrated, but before she could do anything, there was another blue flash, and Birdie was telekinetically flipped into a tree.  
Birdie climbed out of the tree, steamed.  
"Come on, freeze her in her tracks!" Rick shouted.  
Birdie shot a stream of ice at Anita, but Anita sidestepped the ice.  
Then, Anita said softly, "Love For You."  
Suddenly a maelstrom of dolls' heads were sent flying at Birdie.  
Birdie was so surprised that she wasn't able to dodge, and she got smacked upside the head by the dolls' heads.  
Rick was getting frustrated now. There _had_ to be some way to stop those telekinetic powers.  
But how? It was Anita's mind that controlled her powers...  
So then Rick realized that something had to be done to Anita's mind in order to disable her powers!  
But what could Birdie do?  
Rick absent-minded looked at Birdie's hair and was vaguely reminded of ice cream.  
Rick loved ice cream. The only part he didn't like was the "ice cream headache" one could get by eating ice cream too fast. "Ice cream headaches" were also known as "brain freezes".  
Brain freezes...brain...brain...  
That was it!  
"Birdie, shoot some ice towards Anita's head as fast as you can!" Rick shouted.  
Birdie shot a stream of ice at Anita's head, speeding up the speed of the ice as fast as she could.  
The ice froze Anita's head, and she clutched her head in pain. Now she'd had a brain freeze...almost literally.  
Anita couldn't use telekinetic powers if her brain was in pain!  
"Go, Poke Ball!" Rick said, throwing the last of the empty Poke Balls that Professor Oak had given him.  
If this worked, Rick would have a full team of six.  
The Poke Ball hit Anita and zapped her inside.  
The ball started shaking back and forth, and the button in the middle glowed red.  
Rick was tense, waiting to see what would happen.  
Finally, the ball stopped shaking, still closed. Anita had been caught.  
Rick picked up the Poke Ball and danced with glee. After giving Birdie a hug, he recalled her.  
He walked on, and soon he could see a city in the distance.  
Rick rushed towards it. He'd spent a long time trying to get to this city, and now he had made it...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	11. Clash Of Lightning

Journey of Pokewomen Part 11: Clash of Lightning  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was _finally_ in a city.  
He saw a sign that said, "You are in Vermillion City."  
He then checked his watch, and the watch said it was noon.  
Apparently Rick had only just made it to the city in time for lunch.  
He went to a fast-food place, and as usual, he ordered lunch for himself and for his six Pokewomen.  
After the food had arrived, Rick sent out all his Pokewomen.  
(Author's Note: In case you forgot, they are: Saria (from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), Pixie (from Monster Rancher), Inque (from Batman Beyond), Cassie (from Dragon Tales), Birdie (from Sailor Moon), and Anita (from Darkstalkers).)  
As they were eating, the other Pokewomen tried to get to know Anita, the newest member of Rick's team.  
"Anita, why don't you tell us what life was like before Rick caught you?" Saria asked.  
Anita didn't say anything. That, apparently, was her personality: _really_ quiet.  
"C'mon, Anita, don't you have anything to say?" Pixie asked.  
"She's probably just another weakling," Inque said.  
"Maybe she doesn't wanna talk right now," Cassie said.  
"She could at least _say_ so," Birdie said.  
After Rick and his Pokewomen had finished eating, they overheard people talking at the next table.  
"Man, you should of seen that battle I had with the gym leader," one boy said. "I thought for sure that Arukenimon from Digimon would be able to beat his Pokewoman, but she got her butt kicked."  
"I don't blame you for losing, that gym leader is one tough son-of-a-gun," a girl replied.  
"Yeah, the gym leader used to be a lieutenant in the army, don't forget," someone else said. "In fact his Pokewoman saved his life once during his career as a lieutenant."  
Rick and his six Pokewomen had heard enough.  
"A gym leader who used to be in the army? This should be an interesting match," Rick said.  
"Hmph! The gym leader's probably letting all this praise go to his head, so maybe he'd feel less confident if I kicked his Pokewoman's butt in battle," Inque said.  
"Time to face the gym leader, everyone!" Rick said, recalling all six Pokewomen.  
Then, he rushed out of the fast-food place, heading towards the gym.  
  
Once he got to the Vermillion City Gym, he pushed the doors open.  
It was dark inside.  
He saw a young boy in black and a young girl in red standing there.  
"Well, well, well, another challenger for the gym leader to beat," the boy said nastily.  
"Hey boss, there's a challenge here for you!" the girl called out behind her.  
A man stepped out from behind the two.  
Rick got nervous when he saw how big the man was.  
The man was _huge_!  
And muscular, too. Probably no more a slouch in action than he was in appearance. Obviously this was Lt. Surge. No wonder he was as high-ranking in the army as a lieutenant.  
"What's your name, baby?" the man asked.  
"I'm Rick, from Pallet Town, and I'm not a baby!" Rick shouted.  
"I'm Lt. Surge, and I call everyone who loses to me 'baby'," the man said.  
"We'll see who loses!" Rick said. "How many Pokewomen do we each use to battle?"  
"This'll be one-on-one," Lt. Surge said.  
"Fine with me," Rick said.  
Lt. Surge threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Leelim!"  
Someone came out of the Poke Ball, and Rick was shocked.  
This Pokewomen looked like Pixie, except there was black where Pixie was pink, and she had grey skin instead of Pixie's peach-colored skin, and she had black hair instead of red hair.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pixie look-a-like.  
The Pokedex said, "Leelim. This is a character from a TV show and video games called Monster Rancher. She is a crossbreed between a Pixie and another monster called a Monol. She is capable of performing Pixie's tricks, but unlike Pixie, she is completely evil. She likes strong men, so if you are male, and you are strong, Leelim will be loyal to you, at least until she finds another strong man, in which case she'll probably ditch you."  
"Of course, there's no one who's stronger than Lt. Surge," Leelim said, tracing a finger over Lt. Surge's muscles.  
"There shouldn't be, my army days gave me quite a workout, plus I lift weights," Lt. Surge said.  
Privately Rick though Leelim was a very superficial Pokewomen if her loyalty could shift because of something so trivial.  
Still, Lt. Surge's size and muscles meant that Leelim would probably always stay loyal to him. That meant he'd probably had been able to train Leelim well.  
Before Rick could decide who to send out, one of his Poke Balls shook, and Pixie popped out.  
Pixie was enraged.  
"You give us Pixies a bad name!" she shouted at Leelim. "Only loyal to strong men; what an idiot! Don't you know not to judge by appearances?"  
"For your information, Lt. Surge not only has looks, he's a man of action, too!" Leelim retorted. "He never quits his workouts, and he did an excellent job in the army."  
"So what's gonna happen if someone turns up who's more muscular and stronger than Lt. Surge? You gonna ditch him and leave him without a Pokewoman?" Pixie asked.  
Leelim looked like she didn't know what to say to that, but she was saved from humiliation when Lt. Surge spoke up.  
"That'll never happen, so Leelim will always be loyal to me. Isn't that right, Leelim?" Lt. Surge asked rhetorically.  
"You know it, Surge," Leelim said, blowing Lt. Surge a kiss.  
"That does it! Let's battle!" Pixie said.  
Rick began to see why Pixie was so mad at Leelim. Leelim looked almost identical to Pixie, plus she had a much worse personality.  
"All right then, baby, let's get on with the show," Lt. Surge said, snapping his fingers.  
The lights came on.  
"All right, you go first, since you're gonna lose anyway," Lt. Surge said.  
"All right, let's send some lightning towards her!" Rick said.  
Pixie threw lightning at Leelim. Leelim was hit, but she barely even felt it.  
"Oh, I should probably tell you that I trained Leelim to be extra-durable," Lt. Surge said. "Leelim, let's get the show on the road!"  
Leelim flew at Pixie, trying to scratch her, but Pixie flew out of the way.  
"Try an energy ball!" Rick said.  
Pixie threw an energy ball at Leelim. Again, Leelim was hit, but she brushed it off.  
"Like I said, extra-durable," Lt. Surge said.  
Leelim began shocking Pixie with lightning.  
With effort, Pixie broke away.  
Pixie threw another energy ball, and it hit Leelim. Yet again, Leelim barely even felt it.  
"Finish her!" Lt. Surge said. "Try a sonic blast."  
"Sonic blast?" Rick asked, confused.  
Leelim concentrated, and suddenly there was a sound like a thunderclap. (Author's Note: Sonic Blast is a move from the Monster Rancher games.)  
Then there was a tremendous shockwave.  
The shockwave was so powerful that Pixie was blown off her feet and into a wall.  
She then slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
"Looks like I win," Lt. Surge said.  
Rick couldn't believe he had lost so quickly.  
He'd lost even faster than when he'd battled A.J.  
Dejectedly, he recalled Pixie, and walked out of the gym.  
He thought to himself that the main reason he'd lost was that Leelim's defense was so good.  
If he could teach Pixie more powerful techniques, the power might cancel out Leelim's defense...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	12. Technique Training And Rematch

Journey of Pokewomen Part 12: Technique Training And Rematch  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was humiliated. He'd lost to Lt. Surge, and quickly, too.  
There had to be some way to compensate for Leelim's incredible defense. But what?  
Pixie only knew how to throw lightning, and to throw energy balls.  
That was it! All Rick had to do was teach Pixie some new techniques, and she might be able to win.  
Rick looked up Pixie's information in his Pokedex.  
The Pokedex said, "Pixie is also capable of learning a sonic blast technique that uses a shockwave as an attack."  
Rick already knew that, so he looked up another attack.  
The Pokedex said, "Pixie can learn a technique that creates a wall of fire, which can protect from attacks if she can make the wall of fire strong enough."  
Well _that_ sounded good.  
Teaching her both the sonic blast technique and the wall of fire technique should make her better.  
So Rick went back into the forest outside the city and called out Pixie.  
"All right, Pixie, you wanna beat Leelim, don't you?" he asked.  
"Yeah, Leelim gives us Pixies a bad name!" Pixie said. "What a superficial little b---"  
"I'll teach you some new techniques," Rick interrupted.  
"Good, teach away," Pixie replied.  
"First, you need to know that sonic blast technique," Rick said. "It's pretty powerful, and we'll need all the power we can get against Leelim's endurance."  
"Here's how to do it," Rick continued, briefly looking something up in his Pokedex. "I happen to know that sonic booms are created when the sound barrier is broken. The sound barrier can only be broken if something moves at a speed that is past the speed of sound. So, you need to do something so fast that you break the speed of sound doing it."  
"But what can I do?" Pixie asked. "I didn't even see what Leelim did to cause the sonic blast. It looked like she just concentrated and it happened."  
"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention to that either," Rick said. "But that's not important. We'll try clapping your hands together really fast, and see what happens."  
"Ok," Pixie said uncertainly. She clapped her hands together, but no sonic blast happened.  
She kept doing it, and Rick kept urging her to do it faster.  
Finally, after a while, just when Rick was ready to give up, Pixie clapped her hands together so fast that there was a sonic boom, and then a shockwave that knocked Rick off his feet.  
Rick got up and then cheered.  
"You did it!" Rick shouted. "You've just learned how to do the sonic blast!"  
Pixie nodded and said, "Yeah, but that's nothing Leelim can't do."  
That's when Rick got to training her to do the wall of fire.  
He kept having her try to form the heat in her body into a wall of fire, but Pixie didn't succeed for a long time.  
Finally Pixie succeeded, creating a wall of fire.  
"Good, I have a plan," Rick said. "Ever notice that Leelim got hit by every single attack that you threw at her? She's obviously too slow to dodge, and relies on defense and power."  
"Yeah, so how does that help me?" Pixie asked.  
"Well, she also relies on the fact that she can hit you with her attacks," Rick said, "but what if you made it so that she couldn't? What if, every time she attacked, you made a wall of fire strong enough to protect against the attack?"  
"Go on, I'm listening," Pixie said, interested.  
"You see, if she can't hit you with her attacks, but you can land every single one of yours, then all you have to do is keep attacking, and eventually Leelim _has_ to fall," Rick said. "After all, even someone with excellent defense isn't invincible."  
"Good plan," Pixie said.  
Then Rick recalled her, heading back to the Vermillion City gym.  
  
Rick threw open the doors of the Vermillion City gym.  
"I'm here for a rematch!" Rick shouted.  
The lights clicked on, and Lt. Surge was standing there, smiling.  
"So, the baby's come back to lose again, eh?" Lt. Surge asked rhetorically. "Well, as a gym leader, under Indigo League rules, I have no choice but to accept your challenge, but you don't stand a chance."  
"We'll see about that. Go, Pixie!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
"And you're even using the same Pokewoman!" Lt. Surge. "I'll beat you again just like last time."  
Lt. Surge sent out Leelim.  
  
Pixie threw an energy ball at Leelim, and of course, since Leelim was slow, the energy ball hit her.  
But, of course, thanks to Leelim's incredible defense, Leelim barely felt it.  
"Leelim, try a sonic blast," Lt. Surge said. "That beat her last time and it should do the trick this time, too."  
"Wall of fire!" Rick said.  
Pixie created a wall of fire, and this time Rick paid close attention to what Leelim was about to do.  
Leelim appeared to be concentrating, but then lashed her tail like a whip. And like a whip, it broke the sound barrier.  
Just as the shockwave happened, Leelim thrust her arms _out_, sending the shockwave at Pixie.  
But the wall of fire did its job, blocking the sonic blast.  
"Hey, what?" Lt. Surge asked, surprised.  
"All right, time for our strategy!" Rick said.  
"So now you've been planning a _new_ way to lose," Lt. Surge said. "Lightning!"  
Leelim threw lightning at Pixie, but Pixie's wall of fire blocked that, too.  
"Throw some lightning of your own!" Rick said.  
Pixie dissipated her wall of fire and shocked Leelim with lightning.  
Leelim barely felt it.  
This went on for quite a while, with all of Leelim's attacks being blocked by Pixie, while all of Pixie's attacks hit Leelim.  
Eventually Leelim began to show signs of wearing down. Rick had been right; not even Leelim could take an infinite amount of hits.  
Then, when Leelim threw an energy ball at Pixie, Rick shouted, "Now try your own sonic blast!"  
Pixie clapped her hands together just like in the forest, and the shockwave hit Leelim, throwing her into a wall.  
Rick's strategy worked. Leelim had been slowly worn down, and now Leelim was unconscious.  
"UNBELIEVABLE!!!" Lt. Surge shouted.  
"I won fair and square, so now I'd like my badge, please," Rick said to him.  
Lt. Surge recalled Leelim.  
He then threw a badge to Rick.  
"Here you go, kid," Lt. Surge said. "I take back that 'baby' comment. You're no baby if you managed to beat me. I gotta teach Leelim that wall of fire technique sometime."  
Rick looked at his badge.  
It looked like the sun.  
"That's the Thunder Badge," Lt. Surge said.  
"Thunder Badge? This thing looks like a sun!" Rick said. "Why is it called the Thunder Badge?"  
"Don't ask me, kid, I didn't name it," Lt. Surge said. "Whoever was the very first Vermillion City gym leader must have named it."  
"Thanks," Rick said, walking out of the gym in triumph.  
He then walked out of Vermillion City, heading on the path he hoped would take him to the next city, and his next adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	13. Cassie The Nurse

Journey of Pokewomen Part 13: Cassie The Nurse  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was walking on the path to the next city.  
Suddenly, he came across a boy wearing black clothes.  
"Hey you!" the boy said. "How about a Pokewomen battle?"  
"You're on!" Rick said.  
"You'll never beat my Pokewoman!" the boy said. He threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Windy Card!"  
A yellow female spirit popped out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the spirit.  
The Pokedex said, "Windy Card. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. She has the ability to control wind and can make yellow chains to trap her opponents."  
"Go, Cassie!" Rick said, sending out Cassie.  
The other trainer took one look at Cassie and laughed.  
"You're sending that little dragon against a wind-controller? What a maroon!" he said.  
The trainer snapped his fingers, and the Windy Card created a tornado.  
"Cassie, get out of there, now!" Rick said.  
Cassie nodded and flew straight up.  
But the Windy Card simply moved the tornado, and Cassie got caught in it.  
Cassie screamed as she was spun around like a rubber ducky in a whirlpool.  
Then, the tornado tossed Cassie over the horizon. She landed in another area of the forest, out of sight.  
"You idiot, now I'll have to go look for her!" Rick screamed at the other trainer.  
"Wasn't my fault," the other trainer said smugly. "You should have picked a better battler."  
The other trainer then recalled the Windy Card and walked away.  
Rick cursed. He hoped Cassie was all right, wherever she'd landed.  
He left the path, going into the forest to look for her.  
  
Meanwhile, Cassie got up from where she'd landed, groggy.  
She looked around and saw no one there.  
She started to panic. Where was Rick?!  
Cassie then remembered the tornado the Windy Card had created, and she immediately realized that the tornado must have separated her from her trainer.  
She had to go find him.  
She flew up into the trees, scanning around for Rick.  
She didn't see him anywhere.  
She continued to fly on, and came to a stream.  
She noticed that although most of the stream was clear, there was a little reddish tint in some areas.  
But Cassie didn't see any red dirt around the area. Where was that reddish tint coming from?  
She had to investigate. She flew down and landed next to the stream.  
She walked upstream, and then she discovered the source.  
She screamed. There was a little boy with red clothes on lying there. He had only one Poke Ball on his belt, which meant he had only one Pokewoman. He had many scratches on him, all bleeding, and he was unconscious. It was a miracle this kid was still alive!  
Cassie didn't know what on earth had happened to this little boy, but she did know that she had to do something, or he'd die from blood loss.  
Cassie picked him up and started looking for shelter.  
Eventually she came to a shack.  
Not much, but it would have to do.  
Cassie went inside the shack, with the boy in tow.  
  
To her surprise, there was a bed inside the shack. The bed had pillows and a blanket.  
She set the boy down on the bed and discovered that the bed was neither too big nor too small.  
Obviously the boy was the one who was living in this shack.  
There was a little dresser drawer.  
Cassie opened the drawers and found lots and lots of stuff, including food supplies, beverages, recreational material, and a first-aid kit packed complete with supplies.  
Obviously the boy was planning on living here for quite a while.  
"First-aid kit!" Cassie said to herself, smacking her forehead in embarassment for not noticing how useful the first-aid kit would be at first.  
She took a spray-can of disinfectant from the first-aid kit and sprayed the disinfectant all over the kid's scratches. That way those scratches wouldn't become infected.  
Then she took some bandages and wrapped them around the scratches, wrapping them tightly enough to act as a tourniquet so they'd stop the bleeding.  
Then she got the boy under the blanket and put his head on the pillows.  
In his condition, and with no hospital close by, this boy would need some care.  
She waited for him to come around.  
Eventually, he did wake up. He looked around and saw Cassie looking down at him.  
"Where am I? And what's a cute little pink dragon doing here?" the boy asked.  
"You're back in your shack, and my name is Cassie," Cassie replied, answering both questions.  
  
"I found you, brought you here, and took care of your wounds," Cassie said. "What's your name, and what happened to you?"  
"My name is Orville, and I was attacked by a Pokewoman," the boy replied. "Her name was Lady Deathstrike. My Pokedex told me she appeared in one episode of the X-Men cartoon on Earth. She's got huge claws and animal instincts. I accidentally disturbed her while she was sleeping, so she scratched me up for revenge."  
"Didn't your Pokewoman try to protect you?" Cassie asked.  
"How could she? My Pokewoman is Perdita, from the 101 Dalmations animated movie," Orville said. "No way a dog could stand up against those claws, so I didn't even bother calling her out."  
"I see," Cassie said. "Shouldn't you be travelling to all sorts of places? Why are you living in this shack?"  
"I built this shack myself and brought the supplies, and I'm living in it because I love nature, and wanted to spend some time in it," Orville replied.  
Cassie nodded. That explained why Orville had been out of his shack; he'd probably gone for a nature walk.  
"Anyway, thanks for saving my life," Orville continued. "I think I'll finish my walk now."  
But before he could get out of bed, Cassie said, "I don't think you're well enough yet. Those were pretty nasty scratches, and they need time to heal."  
"I'm fine!" Orville insisted, trying to get out of bed. Then he moaned in pain and lay back down.  
"Ok, maybe not," he said.  
From then and during the course of several hours, Cassie acted as his nurse.  
She brought him food and drink, and checked his temperature. He had no fever, and that was good, because the only purpose of a fever in this case would be to fight off infections, and the disinfectant Cassie sprayed on him earlier would prevent such infections.  
During the course of these several hours, Orville kept trying to get out of bed. Each time he got farther before he had to sit back down.  
Finally, he was able to get out of bed without being in pain.  
Obviously this meant he'd gotten better.  
"Hey Cassie, thanks for taking care of me," Orville said. "I swear I'll pay you back for this."  
"You don't need to," Cassie said, a little embarassed. "I just thought it would be nice to help you get better."  
"I insist," Orville said. "Once you leave this forest, I'll keep track of you, and if you need help, I swear I'll return the favor you did me by showing up to help."  
"That's really not---" Cassie began. She had been about to say "necessary" when there was a knock on the door.  
Cassie answered it and found Rick standing there.  
"I've been looking all over for you!" Rick exclaimed. "I'm lucky I found your footprints or I wouldn't have found this shack. What happened?"  
So then Cassie told her about taking care of Orville and about Orville's oath to one day return the favor.  
Rick recalled Cassie and walked out of the shack, thinking to himself, "A favor might come in handy one day."  
To his astonishment, he came across the path pretty soon, and he saw a town in sight.  
He headed towards the town, and his next adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	14. Laughing Contest

Journey of Pokewomen Part 14: Laughing Contest  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick went into the town.  
He saw a sign that said, "You are in Lavendar Town."  
He wondered if there was a gym here.  
A boy was passing by, and Rick asked the boy, "Is there a gym here?"  
"No, there's no gym," the boy said. "We do have a mausoleum to pay respects to dead Pokewomen, though."  
"I don't wanna waste time going to a mausoleum! I want a gym!" Rick shouted.  
"Then you might want to go to a contest that's being held," the boy said. "The contest is that these two men will try to make one of your Pokewomen laugh. If they succeed, you lose. If they fail to make your Pokewoman laugh within the alotted time, you win the contest. The prize is that they give you directions to the nearest city with a gym. So far, no one's Pokewoman has succeeded in not laughing."  
Rick grinned. He had a Pokewoman who was so quiet she'd probably NEVER laugh.  
"Where is this contest?" he asked the boy.  
"Over at the other side of town," the boy said, pointing.  
"Ok, thanks!" Rick said, racing off in that direction.  
  
As he got to the place where the contest was being held, he saw a large crowd of people, and a platform with two men in suits on it.  
A little girl was onstage, having released her Pokewoman. This Pokewoman looked like a cross between a vampire and a duck.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the woman.  
The Pokedex said, "Morgana. This character is from an Earth television series called Darkwing Duck. She has a wide range of magical powers, including transformation of objects and teleportation of objects."  
"Morgana doesn't laugh very often; she's SURE to win this contest!" the little girl said.  
"We'll see about that," one of the men said.  
Both men proceeded in making lots of funny faces. At first, Morgana looked like she was going to win.  
But then one of the men pulled a particularly funny face, and Morgana burst into laughter.  
"You lose," both men said to Morgana and her trainer.  
The little girl kicked the ground in frustration, and then recalled Morgana, storming off.  
"I wanna try!" Rick said, climbing onto the platform.  
"Ok, who's the lucky Pokewoman who's gonna be bursting into laughter?" one of the men asked.  
"Ha! She's so serious she'll never laugh! Anita, go!" Rick said, sending out Anita.  
Anita, as usual, was quiet.  
The men started making funny faces. But Anita didn't laugh, not even when one of them pulled the same funny face that had caused Morgana to laugh.  
"Ok, whaddya get when you cross a porcupine and a toothbrush? A very good reason not to brush your teeth!" one of the men said.  
Still, Anita was quiet, not laughing.  
"Why did the turkey cross the road? To prove it wasn't chicken!" the other one said.  
Anita still wasn't laughing. Rick felt triumphant. Anita was so serious and quiet that she'd win this contest hands-down.  
"Did you hear the one about the mountain climber? Never mind, he hasn't made it up yet!" one of the men said.  
Still, Anita didn't laugh, and both men looked worried.  
"What's frozen tea?" one man asked the other.  
"Iced tea," the other man said.  
"What's frozen beer?" the first asked.  
"Iced beer," the other man replied.  
"What's frozen ink?" the first asked.  
"Iced ink," the other man replied.  
"Then go and have a bath!" the first retorted.  
Rick got the joke: "iced ink" sounded like "I stink".  
_Still_ Anita didn't laugh.  
"I don't believe this! That was our funniest joke!" the first man said.  
"We gotta think of something else before time's up!" the other man said.  
"Time _is_ up," someone said, standing to the side. Obviously this was the judge of the contest.  
"You did not make this Pokewoman laugh within the alotted time, so her trainer wins the contest," the judge said.  
"YES!" Rick shouted, picking up Anita and dancing around her with glee.  
"We won! We won!" he said. He set Anita down, patted her on the head to thank her, and then recalled her.  
"I've won fair and square," he continued, speaking to the two men. "Now tell me the directions to the city with a gym."  
Both men sighed, resigned.  
"Ok, if you go west of this town, which is called Lavendar Town if you didn't already know, and you follow the path, you'll get to Celadon City," the first man said.  
"Ok, thanks!" Rick said, racing off.  
He headed to the west, and then walked along the path, out of Lavendar Town, on his way to Celadon City and the next gym...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	15. Plant Power

Journey of Pokewomen Part 15: Plant Power  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
After beating 7 trainers not worthy enough to describe and getting their money as prizes, which was a good thing since he was getting low on money, Rick finally reached Celadon City. He knew it was Celadon City because he'd been given directions here after winning a laughing contest. (Author's Note: See last chapter.)  
He looked at his watch and saw it was dinnertime.  
He went into yet another fast-food place and ordered food for himself and his six Pokewomen.  
They started to eat.  
"So, girls, ready to face the Celadon City gym leader?" Rick asked.  
"Sure, I think it will be interesting," Saria said.  
"Yeah, I'd like to see if the gym leader's Pokewomen are any tougher than Leelim," Pixie said.  
"'Course I'm ready to face the gym leader, he/she's probably a loser," Inque said.  
"I'm not sure I could beat a gym leader," Cassie said.  
"Yeah, I'm ready," Birdie said.  
Anita, as usual, didn't say anything.  
They finished eating, and then they heard people talking at the next table.  
"_Man_, the Celadon City gym leader's as tough as nails!" a boy said. "Lt. Surge is a cakewalk compared to her!"  
So the gym leader was a girl.  
"Yeah, I tried to use my Pokewomen against her, and she kicked their butts like they were roadkill," a girl replied.  
"You shoulda seen _my_ battle against her," another boy said. "I nearly won without losing a Pokewoman, but her last Pokewoman's been trained really well, and it single-handedly defeated all of my Pokewomen."  
Rick grinned. It sounded like this one would be a real challenge, if it was true that she was even tougher than Lt. Surge.  
Rick recalled all of his Pokewomen and rushed out of the fast-food place, heading towards the Celadon City Gym.  
  
Just as he got to the gym, someone shouted for him to stop.  
He turned around and saw a little kid running towards him. With a start he realized this was the same kid who Cassie had once taken care of! Rick remembered Cassie saying his name was Orville.  
"Yeah, what do you want?" Rick asked.  
"I came to repay the favor Cassie did me by taking care of me when I was wounded," Orville replied. "Here's how. I'm going to tell you something you need to know if you plan on challenging the gym leader."  
"Tell me," Rick said, interested. He'd need all the help he could get.  
"What you need to know is that the gym leader also runs a perfume shop in this city," Orville said. "If you don't like perfume, she won't accept your challenge."  
Rick was shocked.  
"But I thought the rules said gym leaders have no choice but to accept challenges!" Rick shouted.  
"The Celadon City gym leader, apparently, doesn't seem to care for that rule, only following it if the challengers like perfume," Orville said.  
"Thanks for the tip," Rick said, and he meant it. He himself didn't like perfume. Had it not been for Orville, he would have said so, and would have never gotten to battle the gym leader.  
"You're welcome. Now I'd better leave now that my debt is repaid," Orville said. He then ran off.  
Rick went inside the gym.  
  
As he got inside, he noticed it looked like a lobby in a hotel.  
A lady stopped him and asked, "Do you like perfume?"  
Rick was grateful for the tip Orville had given him.  
"Yes," he lied.  
"Then I'll show you to the gym leader," the lady said. She led him through a door.  
  
He was in another room, and this room looked like a greenhouse. There were plants everywhere, and there were also girls everywhere taking care of the plants.  
"Hello? Where's the gym leader?" Rick asked.  
"I am the gym leader, and my name is Erika," said a girl with blue hair and green clothes.  
"You must like perfume if you were able to get in here," Erika continued.  
"Never mind that, I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a match!" Rick said.  
"I accept, of course," Erika said. "But you have to let my disciples watch the match."  
By "disciples", Erika obviously meant all the others in the room.  
"I don't give a rat's butt," Rick said. Obviously the reason Erika wanted her disciples to watch every gym match was because since Erika was tough enough to win most of her matches, she earned her disciples' respect, so she could remain their teacher.  
At a signal from Erika, her disciples stood up, walked over to some bleachers that Rick hadn't noticed before, and sat down.  
Erika walked to the side of the room opposite from Rick.  
"We shall use three Pokemon each," Erika said.  
"Fine with me," Rick said.  
"I specialize in Pokewomen who are involved with nature," Erika said. She threw a Poke Ball and said, "I select...Zoycite!"  
A woman with brownish-blond in a grey uniform popped out of the Poke Ball. (Author's Note: Yes, I know perfectly well that in the Japanese version of Sailor Moon, Zoycite was a man, but this is the American version of her.)  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the woman.  
The Pokedex said, "Zoycite. She is a villain from the American version of an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. In the Japanese version, she was a man. She can use cherry blossoms for attacks, has a sword, and has a miscellaneous skill of using a black crystal to turn others into monsters."  
Rick figured that since Erika specialized in nature, the only reason Erika had captured Zoycite was because of Zoycite's cherry blossoms.  
"Go, Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Ah, another character from Sailor Moon," Erika said. "Well, let's start the match."  
"All right, Birdie, let's put Zoycite on ice!" Rick shouted.  
Birdie shot some ice at Zoycite.  
"Zoycite, teleport," Erika said.  
Zoycite disappeared in a flash of cherry blossoms, avoiding the ice.  
Zoycite reappeared behind Birdie, and Birdie turned around to face her.  
"Try some ice shards," Rick said.  
Birdie threw some ice shards at Zoycite, but Zoycite just teleported behind Birdie again.  
"Now, Zoycite, time to attack!" Erika said. "Keep her on her toes with your cherry blossoms, and then use your sword!"  
"I'm on it," Zoycite said.  
She threw cherry blossoms at Birdie, saying "Zoi!" for dramatic effect.  
Birdie threw up her arms and flailed the cherry blossoms away, but Zoycite simply used her distraction to produce her sword.  
She leaped at Birdie.  
"Quick, freeze yourself!" Rick shouted.  
Birdie encased herself in ice. Zoycite ended up slashing the ice.  
All Zoycite managed to accomplish was freeing Birdie from her own ice, just as Rick hoped.  
Birdie then made a quick movement with her arm, knocking the sword away.  
Zoycite ran to her sword, attempting to retrieve it.  
"Now freeze her!" Rick shouted.  
Just as Zoycite bent to pick up her sword, Birdie froze her with ice, turning her into an ice statue.  
Apparently the room only _looked_ like a greenhouse, and didn't act like one. Otherwise the ice would have melted.  
"Looks like you win this one," Erika said, recalling Zoycite.  
"Now I choose...Togemon!" Erika said, throwing another Poke Ball.  
Something that looked like a gigantic cactus with arms, legs, boxing gloves, and a face appeared.  
Rick wondered what the heck this thing was, pointing his Pokedex at the cactus.  
The Pokedex said, "Togemon. This is a character from an Earth TV show and games called Digimon. She is a Digimon, and not only is she an expert puncher, she also has two attacks called Needle Spray and Light Speed Jabbing. Needle Spray allows her to shoot her needles at opponents, and Light Speed Jabbing allows her to aim multiple punches at an opponent. Those punches would literally be performed at the speed of light."  
"Togemon, punch her lights out!" Erika said.  
"You got it!" Togemon said, aiming a punch at Birdie.  
Rick smirked.  
"Encase yourself in ice," he said calmly to Birdie.  
Birdie encased herself in ice.  
However, Togemon had been much better trained then Zoycite, and the force of her punch not only smashed the ice, but also knocked Birdie off her feet.  
Birdie landed on her head and was knocked unconscious.  
"I win this one," Erika said.  
Rick said, "Good try, Birdie," and then recalled her.  
"I'll fight nature with nature," Rick said. "Go, Saria!"  
He sent out Saria.  
"All right, Togemon, use your Needle Spray," Erika said.  
"Needle Spray!" Togemon shouted, spraying needles at Saria.  
Rick smirked again. Apparently Erika didn't know that Saria was the Forest Sage.  
Saria waved her hand, and the needles were sent back at Togemon.  
Togemon got stabbed with the needles, and she fell over, unconscious.  
Erika gasped. She couldn't believe that Togemon had been beaten so easily.  
"Togemon, return," she said, recalling Togemon.  
"Just one more, and I'll win the badge!" Rick said.  
"This one's my strongest," Erika said. She threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Wood Card!"  
A green female spirit came out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the spirit.  
The Pokedex said, "Wood Card. She is a character from an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. She can control the very wood she is made up of."  
"Saria, try to control the Wood Card," Rick said.  
Saria concentrated.  
"Wood Card, you can control yourself, so try to resist her control and attack her," Erika said.  
Thus began a power struggle. Saria tried to gain control of the Wood Card, while the Wood Card tried to control herself so she could attack Saria.  
It took a while, but the Wood Card, having been trained by a gym leader, was better-trained, so it managed to free itself from Saria's control, and it rushed at Saria.  
Saria didn't have a chance. She was smacked around by so many tree branches that she soon fell unconscious.  
Erika chuckled.  
"Oh well, I still have one chance left," Rick said, recalling Saria.  
He knew that plants were notorious for easily catching on fire. If he could only get Cassie to be able to breathe fire well...  
"Go, Cassie!" Rick said, sending out Cassie.  
Cassie, the cute little pink dragon, looked at the Wood Card nervously.  
"I'm not sure if I can beat that thing," Cassie said.  
"You can if you breathe fire," Rick said.  
"But I don't know how to breathe fire very well," Cassie said.  
For some reason Erika wasn't having the Wood Card attack. Maybe Erika was waiting to see if Cassie would ever attack.  
"Just take a deep breath, call up the fire, and blow it out," Rick said.  
"Ok, I'll try..." Cassie said, nervous.  
She took a deep breath, then blew really hard. To the Wood Card's astonishment, fire came out.  
The fire burned the Wood Card's branches and set them on fire. Soon the Wood Card had burned herself into unconsciousness.  
Erika cursed under her breath, recalling the Wood Card.  
"I did it! I did it!" Cassie said, excited. She gave Rick a hug.  
Rick patted her on the head, and then recalled her.  
"Looks like you won the Rainbow Badge," Erika said, tossing Rick a badge.  
Rick looked at the badge. It was a circular badge that had the colors of the rainbow at the outer edge and was black in the center.  
Rick, with his newly earned badge, walked out of the gym, only to discover that it was already nighttime.  
Rick checked into a hotel, and then went to the room they provided for him and his Pokewomen.  
They all went to sleep.  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	16. Cycling Road

Journey of Pokewomen Part 16: Cycling Road  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
In the morning, Rick woke up, recalled his Pokewomen, checked out of the hotel with his Pokewomen, and then left Celadon City.  
He soon came to a guardhouse, and he went inside.  
Once inside, the guard said to him, "You can't go past here unless you have a bicycle."  
"Why is that?" Rick asked.  
"Because past here is Cycling Road," the guard answered. "Everyone's on a bicycle there. Pedestrians would probably get run over."  
"Oh," Rick said, dejected.  
He brightened. Maybe Cycling Road wouldn't get him anywhere special anyway.  
"Where does Cycling Road lead to?" Rick asked.  
"It leads to a forest, and the Fuschia City gym is in the middle of this forest," the guard said. "If you go past this forest, you'll get to Fuschia City."  
Rick slapped his forehead in disgust. He had to get a bicycle somewhere.  
He left the guardhouse, going back into Celadon City.  
  
As he arrived in Celadon City, he was shocked.  
Team Rocket members were everywhere, and they were waving their guns at everyone in the city.  
"Give us all your Pokewomen, or we'll fill ya full of lead!" one of them said.  
The citizens were cowering, but they didn't look like they would give them up anytime soon.  
Luckily, Rick had an ace in the hole. The Team Rocket members didn't see him, and they didn't know he was there because he'd been in the guardhouse when they'd arrived.  
He quietly released Inque, then whispered in her ear to take the guns away.  
Inque chuckled evilly like the villain she was, then transformed herself into a gigantic ink puddle.  
She snuck up on the Team Rocket members until she was under them, then suddenly thrust up several ink tentacles, snatching the guns away from the Team Rocket members.  
"Hey, what?!" they all shouted in unison, surprised.  
"Inque, kick these losers' butts and get them out of here," Rick said, bored at an inevitable outcome.  
"With pleasure," Inque said.  
Inque started beating the Team Rocket members up with ink whips, and then she used an ink tentacle to throw the Team Rocket members over the horizon.  
"Good job," Rick said, recalling Inque.  
"Thanks, you saved our lives!" a little boy with a bicycle said. "How can we repay you?"  
Rick was about to say that he needed no reward, when he remembered that he needed a bicycle to get to Cycling Road.  
"Well, that bicycle would be nice," Rick said.  
"Here, take it," the little boy said, giving Rick the bicycle. "I never use this ugly old thing anyway."  
Rick couldn't believe his luck. He rushed back to the guardhouse.  
  
Once inside the guardhouse, the guard said, "So, you got yourself a bicycle? Then by all means, go right through."  
"Thanks," Rick said, and he went out the other side of the guardhouse.  
  
Once outside, Rick got on his bicycle.  
He started bicycling down the road ahead of him.  
It looked like it would be smooth sailing all the way down.  
That's when he noticed something.  
Other cyclists wearing gangster outfits were starting to form a circle.  
If he kept going he'd crash into one of them.  
He stopped his bike.  
The leader of the people said, "Hello there, we're the Bridge Bike Gang! We take wallets from any cyclists we happen to come across, unless they can properly introduce themselves."  
Rick was confused. Why would a gang leave somebody alone just because the person introduced himself? There _had_ to be a catch.  
"Hello, my name is Rick," Rick said, introducing himself.  
"Not that way, you dummy!" the leader said. "When I say introduction, I mean Pokewomen battle. You can choose to battle any one of us, but if you lose, we don't just take some of your money like winners are supposed to; we take the whole wallet!"  
Rick groaned. He _knew_ there had to be a catch.  
"And what if _I_ win?" Rick asked.  
"If by some miracle you win the battle, you get to take the wallet of the one you beat," the leader said.  
"Can't I just leave?" Rick asked futilely.  
"Nope, sorry," one of the gang leader's cronies spoke up.  
"To choose which one to battle, just point to one of us," the leader said.  
"Ok," Rick said, immediately pointing to a very young gang member standing to the leader's left. Rick figured this one was probably the easiest.  
"Fine, you can battle me," the leader said.  
Rick was shocked. Obviously the leader had thought Rick had pointed to _him_!  
"No, I meant the kid next to you!" Rick shouted.  
"Don't try to stall for time, dingbat!" the leader shouted. The leader threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Queen Beryl!"  
A red-haired evil-looking lady in a blue dress with a staff came out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Queen Beryl. This character is from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. She is a villain. She can put someone under an eternal sleep spell that only she can deactivate, she can brainwash someone, and she can fire black lightning or pink energy orbs at her opponents."  
Rick gulped. No wonder this guy had become the gang leader, Queen Beryl sounded like a tough cookie.  
Well, Rick would fight toughness with toughness.  
"Go, Inque!" Rick said, sending out Inque.  
"Queen Beryl, brainwash this freak!" the gang leader commanded.  
"As you wish," Queen Beryl said, making some hand motions.  
Inque was not about to let herself be controlled, though, and she smashed herself into Queen Beryl before Queen Beryl could complete the spell.  
"Now, toss her away!" Rick said.  
Inque wrapped an ink tentacle around Queen Beryl and threw her into the air.  
"Some black lightning'll do the trick," the gang leader said.  
Queen Beryl recovered in mid-air and threw black lightning at Inque.  
Inque merely slid out of the way.  
Inque then turned into a hammer made out of ink, bashing Queen Beryl over the head.  
Queen Beryl gave a shocked gasp, then fell unconscious.  
"What the---" the gang leader said, unable to believe he'd lost so quickly.  
"You lost, now give me your wallet," Rick said.  
The gang leader cursed, but tossed his wallet over to Rick.  
Rick didn't want two wallets, so he simply took the money from the newly acquired wallet, put it into his own wallet, then tossed the now-empty wallet back to the gang leader.  
"Here, keep this as a souvenir of your loss," Rick said, laughing.  
Inque laughed too and said, "When you mess with a trainer like Rick, you're asking for trouble."  
Rick then recalled Inque and cycled on.  
He soon could see the guardhouse at the other end of the road.  
Just as he was about to reach it, there was a hissing sound.  
Rick looked down and saw that his tires had somehow gone flat.  
Then he saw the needle-sharp darts sticking to them. Apparently the gang leader had thrown them, being a sore loser.  
Rick would have gone after that creep, but he didn't want to be caught on the road without a bicycle.  
He _just_ made it inside the guardhouse before the flat tires caused his bike to completely stop.  
Rick then went out the other side of the guardhouse, having lost a bike, but gained some money, and gained access to his next adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	17. Fuschia Fight

Journey of Pokewomen Part 17: Fuschia Fight  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was in the forest that the second guardhouse had led him to. He remembered how he had been told that the Fuschia City Gym was in the middle of the forest.  
So far, he hadn't had much luck.  
However, he would keep looking.  
He kept walking on in the forest.  
Eventually, he came to something that looked like a Japanese restaurant.  
However, there was no noise coming from inside. The place might have been deserted, for all Rick knew.  
Rick went inside anyway, figuring that this was probably the Fuschia City gym.  
  
As he was walking through the place, he suddenly bumped into what seemed like thin air.  
Rick tried to push his way past, but whatever was stopping him, it was not only invisible but also thick.  
He knew just the Pokewoman for the job.  
"Go, Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Birdie, freeze whatever's in front of me solid," Rick said.  
"Okay," Birdie said.  
Birdie threw ice at the invisible thing, and it froze it, doing an added job of making it visible.  
It was a wall.  
Rick angrily smashed the now frozen and easily crackable wall into pieces. He wanted to see the gym leader, not play games with invisible walls!  
He made his way through a hall, and finally came out into a room.  
The room had a female ninja in a pink outfit, and a male ninja in a blue outfit.  
"Greetings," the female ninja said. "I am Aya, and this is my brother Koga."  
"Greetings," the male ninja, apparently Koga, said. "I am the gym leader of the Fuschia City Gym."  
"Then I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a match!" Rick said.  
"I accept your challenge, of course, but I don't use brute force like other gym leaders," Koga said. "This will be a one-on-one Pokewomen battle." (Author's note: It would have been two-on-two, because I used to believe that Dokugumon, from Digimon, was female. But then I read somewhere that Dokugumon was male, so I made this one-on-one instead.)  
Then Koga threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Princess Snake!"  
A blue-skinned elegant-looking princess appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Princess Snake. She appeared in one episode of an Earth TV show called Dragonball Z. She looks and acts like your everyday polite princess, but that is illusion, and in reality she is a gigantic snake that, to defeat opponents, swallows them whole and uses stomach acid on them."  
"Anita, go!" Rick said, sending out Anita.  
Anita, as usual, was quiet, simply staring at Princess Snake.  
"Princess Snake, you may now shed your illusion," Koga said.  
Princess Snake suddenly grew fangs, and then the illusion disappeared altogether. Now there was a gigantic snake in the middle of the room.  
Rick was a little nervous, but he figured Anita's telekinetic powers would be enough to prevent herself from being swallowed whole.  
"Princess Snake, swallow her!" Koga said.  
Princess Snake lunged at Anita, attempting to swallow her.  
Anita lifted a finger, and there was a blue flash. Princess Snake was stopped in mid-air by a telekinetic force.  
Princess Snake, surprised, fell to the floor.  
"Princess Snake, try again," Koga commanded.  
Princess Snake lunged at Anita gain.  
"Don't hold back this time," Rick coached Anita.  
Anita nodded, and this time, after the blue flash, Princess Snake wasn't merely stopped in mid-air, she was thrown back against the wall.  
"Anita has pretty strong telekinetic powers," Koga said. "You have trained her well."  
Rick was embarassed, and said, "Actually, I don't train my Pokewomen often. I just happened to be lucky enough to catch pretty strong ones."  
Princess Snake, meanwhile, had lunged at Anita again, and Anita simply flung her back against the wall again.  
This kept on, until finally Princess Snake couldn't take it anymore, and she fell unconscious.  
"I win," Rick said.  
Koga nodded.  
"You have won, and you deserve a badge," Koga said.  
He tossed Rick a badge that looked like a heart.  
"That is the Soul Badge," Koga said.  
Rick cheered, then ran to Anita, picked her up, and swung her around.  
Then he gave her a hug.  
For just a second, he thought he saw the beginning of a smile on Anita's face.  
But it was gone so quickly that Rick thought he must have imagined it.  
"So, do you know the way to the next city?" Rick asked Koga.  
"Yes, Celadon City is---" Koga began.  
"I know where Celadon City is, I already have the Rainbow Badge," Rick said.  
"How about Saffron City?" Aya asked, speaking up for the first time since she'd greeted Rick.  
"No, haven't been there," Rick said.  
"Use my Pokewoman to get there," Aya said, sending out someone.  
A gargoyle-looking creature came out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the creature.  
The Pokedex said, "Demona. She is a villain from an Earth TV show called Gargoyles. She is very strong and very fast, and has the ability to fly."  
"Get on Demona's back, and she will fly you to Saffron City," Aya said.  
"Thanks!" Rick said, getting on Demona's back.  
Demona burst through the roof of the gym, carrying Rick towards Saffron City, and his next adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	18. Saffron: First Fight

Journey of Pokewomen Part 18: Saffron: First Fight  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Demona eventually touched down in Saffron City, and Rick got off of her back.  
"Thanks for the ride," Rick said to her.  
"Yeah, yeah," Demona said, and she flew far away, presumably returning to Aya, her trainer.  
Rick shrugged, but then his stomach growled.  
That's when it hit him. He'd forgotten to eat breakfast that day!  
That meant he'd forgotten to feed his Pokewomen, too.  
Luckily, as Rick checked his watch, he saw it was lunchtime, and he went to the Pokecenter, healed his Pokewomen, and then went inside still another fast-food place.  
  
Once inside, Rick ordered a double-helping of what he usually ordered for everyone.  
Then, they sat down to eat.  
It took longer than usual because Rick had ordered double the food than usual.  
After they had finished eating, once again they heard people talking at the next table.  
"My goodness, this city's gym leader is _insane_!" one girl said. "My Pokewoman, Akane Tendo from the Ranma 1/2 series, lost against her Pokewoman, and it was only because I'm a good runner that I was able to escape her!"  
"Yeah, she's psychotic all right," a boy replied. "My Pokewoman, Luna from the Sailor Moon series, lost in three seconds. The gym leader was about to do something horrible to me, but her father helped me escape."  
At this, Rick got nervous. Not only did this gym leader sound tough, she also sounded nasty.  
But Rick wouldn't let this balk him. After all, he couldn't go to the Indigo League without all eight badges.  
He recalled his Pokewomen, rushed outside, and went to the gym.  
  
Once inside the gym, he was walking down a hallway, with many rooms along the way.  
He peeked into those rooms and saw something amazing.  
There were ordinary-looking people...but they were practicing bending spoons with their _minds_!  
Did these people have psychic powers?  
Suddenly someone walked up to Rick.  
"What are you doing here?" that someone, who was male, asked.  
"I've come to challenge the gym leader to a match!" Rick said.  
"The only way to get to the great Sabrina is to bend a spoon," the man said, holding up a spoon. "Most people do not have psychic powers, so you may bend the spoon in any way you wish, but you must not have help."  
"Fine," Rick said, taking the spoon. He saw himself as pretty strong anyway.  
He took the spoon, and then tried to bend it.  
After much grunting and groaning, he managed to snap it in half.  
The man was surprised, but then said, "Very well, come with me."  
Rick followed the man into a room at the end of the hallway.  
  
The room was _huge_!  
At the end, behind a screen, was a very small girl with blue hair, dressed in 1920's fashion.  
The man Rick had followed into the room turned around and left.  
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a match, Sabrina!" Rick shouted, remembering that the man had referred to the gym leader as the "great Sabrina".  
"I'd _love_ to battle you!" the little girl said happily.  
Rick smirked. Well, that was easy.  
"But there's a price for losing even greater than not getting the badge," the little girl added.  
"What's that price?" Rick asked.  
"If you lose, you have to be my friend and play with me," the little girl said.  
Rick completely forgot what he'd heard in the fast-food place, and thought he had it figured out.  
This little girl was obviously very lonely, and all she really wanted was someone to play with.  
How could Rick refuse in good conscience?  
"Ok, sure!" Rick said, beaming. "If I lose, 'course I'll be your friend."  
That's when someone appeared behind the little girl.  
That someone was a black-haired lady about Rick's height. She was dressed in a red suit.  
"_I_ am Sabrina, and I accept your challenge," she said in an unusually calm voice.  
"You tricked me! Then who's the little girl?" Rick asked angrily.  
"She's just a doll," Sabrina said.  
"All right, how many Pokewomen?" Rick asked.  
"One-on one. Go, Jean Grey," Sabrina said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A red-haired woman in a superhero-style jumpsuit appeared.  
She had an X on her suit.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Jean Grey. This is a character from a TV series called X-Men. She has telekinetic and telepathic powers, and she has an alter-ego called the Pheonix, who can control fire."  
Rick remembered how, to capture Anita, he had to have Birdie give her a "brain freeze".  
Surely that would work on Jean Grey, too.  
"Go, Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Birdie, freeze her head!" Rick said.  
Birdie tossed some ice at Jean Grey.  
Sabrina's eyes glowed yellow, and Jean Grey telekinetically slammed the ice back at Birdie, freezing _her_ instead.  
Sabrina's eyes glowed brighter, and Jean Grey concentrated.  
The frozen Birdie was lifted up telekinetically, and then slammed into the ground.  
She was lifted up again, and then slammed into the ground.  
Jean Grey's well-trained, Rick thought.  
He thought this because somehow, Jean Grey was slamming Birdie into the ground hard enough to cause her pain, but not hard enough to break the ice.  
Jean Grey kept on telekinetically slamming her, and finally Birdie fell unconscious.  
Rick gasped. That had been a quick loss.  
"Now you have to keep your promise," Sabrina said. "I'll turn you into a doll so you can play with me forever."  
Rick gasped and turned to flee, but Sabrina froze him in place with her psychic powers.  
That's when somebody teleported in.  
Rick thought it was a Pokewoman who had the ability to teleport, but to his surprise, it was a _man_!  
The man teleported again, and this time, Rick was teleported with him, to who knows where...  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	19. Saffron: Second Fight

Journey of Pokewomen Part 19: Saffron: Second Fight  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick suddenly found himself outside the gym, with the man standing next to him.  
"What happened?" Rick asked.  
"Sabrina was about to turn you into a doll," the man said. "I decided to save your life by teleporting you outside."  
"Thanks," Rick said. "But what's made Sabrina so psychotic?"  
"It all started a long time ago," the man said. "Sabrina was a little girl, and she had just developed her psychic powers. She became fascinated with them, and kept practicing her powers, developing them. She refused to do much else, and she never made any friends."  
The man had a pensive look for a moment, and then continued.  
"Eventually, she split into two parts," the man continued. "One is her human self, cold, unfeeling, concerned only with her own psychic powers. The other is her doll, who represents the part of her that is lonely, and really does want to make friends."  
"That's kinda sad," Rick said.  
Then he realized something. How on earth did this man know Sabrina since she was a little girl? Unless...  
"You must be her father!" Rick shouted.  
The man smirked.  
"So, you figured it out," he said. "Not bad. Of course, you'll never be able to beat Sabrina."  
"Why not?" Rick demanded. "Other people have gotten into the Indigo League before, so they must have been able to beat her."  
"They did, you won't," the man replied. "Not if you can't find some way to defend against psychic powers."  
"I just have to train Birdie better, that's all!" Rick said.  
He rushed off into a forest outside Saffron City, leaving the man behind.  
  
Rick started training Birdie.  
He kept having her use her ice powers, and he kept trying to make her able to use them at faster speeds.  
If Birdie could speed up the rate at which she used her powers, she might be able to attack Jean Grey before Jean Grey's psychic powers could get to her.  
They kept training for a long time.  
Finally, Birdie began to show some improvement.  
She was able to use her powers in a faster amount of time.  
But Rick thought it wasn't enough, and just kept on training her.  
Finally, Rick decided to wrap it up.  
After congratulating her on her improvement, Rick recalled her, and headed back to the gym.  
  
Once inside the gym, Rick headed straight to the room with Sabrina.  
Once inside there, Rick said, "I've come back for a rematch!"  
"Challenge accepted," Sabrina said.  
She sent out Jean Grey, and Rick sent out Birdie.  
"The same Pokewoman again?" Sabrina asked rhetorically. "You should forfeit, so you can go in the toybox."  
"And so you can play with me!" Sabrina's doll added.  
"Not a chance, you psycho!" Rick said.  
Jean Grey concentrated, preparing to take telekinetic control of Birdie just like the last battle.  
But this time Birdie threw an ice shard, cutting Jean Grey slightly.  
Jean Grey winced in pain, momentarily losing concentration.  
Birdie saw her opening and threw lots of ice shards at her repeatedly.  
Meanwhile, Rick had decided to try to get rid of Sabrina's insanity.  
And he'd decided to tell jokes to do it.  
"What do you get when you cross a porcupine and a toothbrush?" Rick asked her.  
"_Excuse_ me? Why don't you watch the battle?" Sabrina asked.  
"A very good reason not to brush your teeth, that's what!" Rick finished.  
Sabrina just stared at him.  
Meanwhile, Jean Grey and Birdie were throwing physical blows at each other now.  
"Why did the turkey cross the road?" Rick asked.  
Sabrina was about to say something to the effect of that being the oldest joke in the world, when she realized that Rick had said "turkey", not "chicken".  
"I don't know, why?" Sabrina asked, bored, and as usual, unusually calm.  
"Because the chicken was on strike!" Rick said.  
Sabrina just stood there. Apparently she didn't find _that_ joke funny either.  
Meanwhile, Jean Grey and Birdie had begun wrestling with one another.  
Rick was trying to think of another joke.  
Then he thought of a three-part joke.  
"What's frozen tea?" Rick asked.  
"I don't know," Sabrina said.  
"Iced tea! What's frozen beer?" Rick asked.  
"I don't know," Sabrina said.  
"Iced beer! What's frozen ink?" Rick asked.  
Sabrina, finally getting the hang of it, said, "Iced ink."  
"Then go and have a bath!" Rick said, bursting into laughter.  
Sabrina was confused.  
"'Iced ink' sounds like 'I stink'," Rick explained.  
Something Rick found unbelievable happened.  
As Sabrina finally understood the joke, she burst into laughter.  
Even Jean Grey, her own Pokewoman, was surprised, turning to look at Sabrina.  
That was the opportunity Birdie needed.  
Birdie smacked Jean Grey upside the head so hard that Jean Grey was knocked unconscious.  
Rick noticed that Sabrina actually had a very nice laugh.  
"Ever since Sabrina was a little girl, I never thought she'd laugh like this," someone said from behind Rick.  
Rick spun around and saw the same man who'd saved his life earlier.  
"Where'd YOU come from?" Rick asked.  
"That's a stupid question, I just walked in," the man said.  
Suddenly, Sabrina's doll disappeared in a flash of light.  
"What just happened?" Rick asked.  
"Sabrina's laughter has removed the unfeeling coldness from inside her," the man said. "Now the doll is no longer needed, because the doll was just the personification of Sabrina's emotions, emotions that Sabrina herself now has."  
"I guess you beat me," Sabrina said, good-natured now.  
Sabrina recalled Jean Grey.  
Then, Sabrina threw Rick a badge that looked like a yellow circle.  
"This is the Marsh badge," Sabrina said.  
"Thanks!" Rick said.  
Then he continued, "Do you know where I can find another gym?"  
"You'll find one on Cinnabar Island," the man said. "As a reward for helping Sabrina to come back to normal, I'll teleport you there myself."  
"No way!" Rick protested. "I've had enough of psychic powers to last me---"  
But before Rick could finished, he suddenly found himself teleported to his next adventure...  
  
To be continued  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	20. Cinnabar Island

Journey of Pokewomen Part 20: Cinnabar Island  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick suddenly found himself on an island.  
He remember that he was teleported here by Sabrina's father.  
He looked around, and saw the island was a lot more crowded than he thought islands should be.  
In fact, there were people everywhere!  
There were also lots of booths everywhere.  
Some were booths that were being run by people who sold food, and other sold souvenirs.  
"What the heck is going on here? I was told there was a gym here!" Rick shouted.  
"No need to shout," someone said from behind him.  
Rick spun around and saw a man with long blond hair, wearing sunglasses, and wearing red clothes with blue stripes.  
"The gym's right over there," the man said, pointing behind him.  
Rick looked past him and saw a small wooden shack that looked extremely broken down.  
Many parts of it were rotting, and some were already broken. Clearly it was unsafe to enter.  
"_That's_ the gym?!" Rick asked incredulously.  
"You see, the gym leader is called Blaine," the man explained. "Trainers who knew exactly what they were doing used to come, but now the only people that come to the island are people who care more about the attractions than about Pokemon. Some of them don't even _have_ Pokemon!"BR> Then the man shouted, "Tourists! They've wrecked the island!"  
"But why is the gym broken-down?" Rick asked.  
"Because Blaine got tired of those people, and he stopped maintaining his gym," the man explained.  
"But I have to earn the badge from the gym!" Rick said. "If I do, that makes seven, and I can finally enter the Viridian City gym."  
"Well, Blaine did build another gym, but to make sure only serious trainers would come, he hid it," the man said.  
"So how am I supposed to find it?" Rick asked.  
"You'll find it in the place where firefighters could never win," the man said.  
Rick closed his eyes in thought for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant.  
He couldn't think of it, though, and opened his eyes again.  
"What the heck is that supposed to---" Rick began, but the man was gone, having apparently left while Rick was thinking.  
Now Rick was stuck with trying to figure out the riddle.  
The first thought that came to mind was that a place where firefighters would never win would obviously have to be someplace too hot for even a firefighter to handle.  
And considering how firefighters' specialties were handling fire and heat, the place would have to be _really_ hot.  
He thought of places that could be so hot.  
The sun, the planet Mercury, the planet Venus...  
No, the gym would have to be on this planet, because not just any man could go into space.  
The center of the earth...  
No, no ordinary man could go there either.  
As Rick was thinking, he saw a volcano somewhere on the island.  
_Volcano_! The word jarred in Rick's mind.  
Rick pretty much doubted that firefighters could possibly win against a volcano.  
So, with the riddle solved, Rick headed in the direction of the volcano.  
  
Once he got there, he looked for an entrance, but he didn't see anything.  
The entrance must be hidden, too.  
Now Rick was mad. Blaine may have had a good reason for hiding his gym, but did he have to make it so hard to find?  
He kicked a statue of a Gyarados's head in frustration.  
And he stood in amazement as part of a rocky wall slid apart to reveal a flight of stairs going downward.  
Rick climbed down the stairs and came to a metal door.  
Instead of bothering to use the handles, Rick kicked the door open, going inside, eager to see Blaine.  
  
Once inside, Rick began to feel _really_ hot.  
Now Rick figured he must be inside the volcano.  
Rick looked ahead of him and saw a ring being suspended over lava by four chains, one at each corner.  
And that man who gave him the riddle was standing there, too.  
"What in bloody blue blazes are _you_ doing here?!" Rick demanded.  
"Here's another riddle," the man replied. "It keeps your head dry, and the only reason you wear it is because you already lost it."  
Rick smirked. His father wore this regularly.  
"It's a wig," Rick said. Then realization hit him.  
"The only reason you would ask a wig question at a time like this is if that blonde hair is a wig!" he shouted. "And the only reason you would want to disguise yourself is if you were Blaine, the gym leader!"  
"Very perceptive of you," the man said, taking off his wig and his sunglasses.  
The man now revealed actually was bald except for a large amount of darkish-grey hair at the sides of his head.  
"Yes, I am Blaine, the gym leader of Cinnabar Island," the man said. His voice was extremely different now; much harsher and more of an edge to it. Before, he'd been talking like the stereotypical "hippie".  
"Then I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a match!" Rick said. He wiped sweat from his forehead.  
"Jeez, it's freakin' _hot_ down here!" Rick bellowed. "Why on earth would you wanna build a gym in the middle of a friggin' volcano?!" "To see if you were serious," Blaine said. "I give the same riddle to all who want to challenge me. They usually figure out the answer's a volcano, and the more cowardly trainers or the less serious ones are scared off. Since you came here anyway, I accept your challenge."  
"Well I'm definitely serious. How many Pokewomen do we each use to battle?" Rick asked.  
"Three-on-three," Blaine said. Then he continued, "By the way, since you'll never beat me anyway, I'll tell you that I specialize in fire. The heat of fire plus the heat of this volcano have wiped out some of my opponents before."  
"Not this one! Go, Inque!" Rick said, sending out Inque. He knew it would be suicide to use Birdie, because her ice powers would be completely useless in a place so hot the ice would melt. Besides, fire melted ice anyway, even if he weren't battling in a volcano.  
So he'd picked Inque instead, because Inque was made of ink. Ink could boil from heat, but since Inque was made entirely out of ink, she couldn't feel the pain of boiling anyway.  
Blaine realized this too.  
"Excellent choice, but you can't beat me," Blaine said.  
He then proceeded to throw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Sailor Mars!" A black-haired teenage girl in a white-and-red fuku with a purple ribbon and red high-heeled shoes appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Sailor Mars. She is a character from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. She has four fiery attacks, plus she has charms that can ward off evil."  
"And I happen to know that Inque is a villain," Blaine said. "That's why I picked Sailor Mars. Sailor Mars, you know what to do."  
"I sure do!" Sailor Mars said, leaping into the air.  
She drew out a white piece of paper with Japanese lettering on it.  
"I call upon the power of Mars! Fireballs...charge!" she said, trying to put the charm on Inque's head.  
But Inque turned into an ink puddle and slid out of the way.  
"Smash her!" Rick shouted.  
Inque turned into a hammer made of ink and tried to smash Sailor Mars.  
But Sailor Mars had been trained well, and she easily leaped out of the way.  
"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars said, shooting a fireball at Inque.  
Inque formed a hole in her stomach, and the fireball passed through it.  
Sailor Mars then tried her second attack.  
"Mars Firebird Strike!" Sailor Mars said, shooting a bird made of fire at Inque.  
Inque had been trained well, too. She turned into a gigantic ball of ink and smothered the firebird out of existence.  
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Sailor Mars said, shooting dozens of firey rings at Inque.  
_That_ sliced Inque up a bit, but Inque easily healed her wounds by redistributing the ink in her body.  
Sailor Mars was getting really frustrated now.  
She tried her strongest attack.  
"Mars Flame Sniper!" Sailor Mars said, shooting an arrow of fire at Inque.  
The arrow stabbed Inque, and Inque doubled over in pain.  
"Now, finish her off!" Blaine commanded.  
Sailor Mars got ready for another attack, but Inque managed to violently expel the arrow from her body with her ink.  
Sailor Mars was so surprised at having her own attack flung back at her like this that she didn't dodge.  
The arrow grazed her waist, causing her to bleed.  
Rick, mimicking Blaine on purpose to mock him, said, "Now, finish her off!"  
Inque turned into a fist made of ink, and she scored a knockout with an uppercut to Sailor Mars's jaw.  
Sailor Mars was unconscious now, so Blaine had to recall her.  
"You're pretty good, kid, but now deal with my second strongest Pokewoman," Blaine said. He threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Dragon!"  
An extremely huge purple female dragon popped out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Dragon. This is a character from a recently released Earth movie called Shrek. She has the ability to breathe fire, and she is a carnivore. In fact she is the embodiment of the stereotypical fairy-tale dragon, except that she can easily be swayed by flattery."  
Inque overheard the Pokedex.  
"Flattery? I don't need to flatter her to win!" Inque said, scoffing.  
Rick's spirit deflated. Flattery was the best way to beat Dragoon, but Inque's pride refused to allow her to say anything flattering, even to win.  
"Dragon, roast her!" Blaine shouted.  
Dragon reared her head back and breathed fire at Inque.  
Inque, however, turned into an ink ball again, smothering the fire.  
Then, as the ink-ball, Inque rolled at Dragon, slamming into her head.  
Dragon shook her head to clear it.  
Inque then reformed back to her common form.  
Dragon stomped the ground and momentarily knocked Inque off-balance. Then, Dragon breathed fire at Inque again.  
Inque quickly recovered though, and she turned into an ink-ball again.  
This time, though, instead of smothering the fire, Inque flew through it and blocked Dragon's mouth.  
Angrily Dragon tried to breathe fire again.  
This time, though, the fire had nowhere to exit, thanks to Dragon's mouth being blocked.  
Any of you readers know how a volcano erupts? If you do, you'll know what happens next.  
The pressure of the fire kept building up in Dragon's mouth, and eventually the pressure grew to be so big that eventually Inque was violently ejected from Dragon's mouth, along with a gigantic stream of fire.  
Inque was scorched by the fire, but she was ok.  
Dragon, on the other hand, had been knocked through the air by the force at which the pressure was released, and she had to fly to recover.  
But by then she had inadverantly left the boundaries of the ring.  
"Dragon has left the ring, so you win," Blaine said, recalling Dragon.  
"But my strongest Pokewoman is too hot to handle," he continued.  
He threw a Poke Ball and said, "Come out...Firey Card!" (Author's Note: Yes, I know the word's correct spelling is "fiery", but for some reason this card's name is spelled "Firey". So it's not a typo.)  
A female spirit made entirely out of fire came out.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Firey Card. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. She is the embodiment of fire, and can control it. She is extremely powerful, and if she is hit by wind she becomes even more powerful. It has not been tested whether or not water alone can defeat her, but it is known that if she is hit by water and wind at the same time, she will be beaten."  
Well, Rick thought, now was time to do that test. Inque was made of ink, not water, but ink was an inflammable liquid, so for all intents and purposes it was good enough.  
"Burn her to cinders, Firey Card!" Blaine said.  
"Kick her butt, Inque!" Rick shouted.  
The Firey Card rushed at Inque like a firestorm. Rick thought that this attack would have to count right now, or Inque was toast.  
Inque turned into a tidal wave of ink, and she washed over the Firey Card.  
When Inque lifted, the Firey Card lay on the ground, beaten.  
"How on earth did you beat my most powerful Pokewoman so fast?!" Blaine shouted. "I'm the second toughest gym leader in the league!"  
"I had a great Pokewoman," Rick said, giving Inque a hug.  
Inque dumped Rick on the ground, saying, "Don't you _touch_ me like that again!"  
Blaine burst out laughing, and then threw Rick a badge.  
The badge looked like fire.  
"This is the Volcano Badge," Blaine said. "You've earned it!"  
"Thanks," Rick said, recalling Inque.  
Then he rushed out of the volcano, happy to just to get out of that hot place.  
He then saw it was already sunset, so it was already dinnertime.  
After ordering fast-food for himself and his Pokewomen yet again, he checked into a hotel yet again.  
But this time there were dozens of hotels to choose from, and Rick finally realized just how much of a tourist attraction Cinnabar Island had become.  
After getting a room and going to it, Rick let out his Pokewomen, and they all fell asleep.  
  
To be continued  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	21. Final Gym Match: Return To Viridian City

Journey of Pokewomen Part 21: Final Gym Match: Return To Viridian City  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Orville, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
In the morning, Rick and all his Pokewomen woke up.  
After ordering breakfast at the hotel, and after they all ate breakfast, Rick recalled them and checked out of the hotel.  
He was hoping to catch the next ferry to Viridian City. Now that he had all seven of the first badges, he could finally enter the Viridian City Gym.  
He was in luck.  
As it happened, there was a ferry that was about to leave.  
Rick quickly paid for a ride, then climbed aboard the ferry.  
The ferry then set off for Viridian City.  
  
When the ferry arrived in Viridian City, Rick quickly got off it.  
He rushed towards the gym.  
Sure enough, the two guards he'd met just after the beginning of his adventure were still there, guarding the gym.  
The guards apparently recognized him, too.  
"Hey, kid, you better have seven badges this time, or you're still not going in," the guards both said.  
It still completely freaked Rick out that they both talked at exactly the same time.  
But he proudly displayed his seven badges.  
The guards, thus satisfied, tapped the flat ends of their spears on the floor at the same time.  
The door opened, and Rick rushed inside.  
  
Once he got inside, he saw a man sitting on a chair, and the chair was on a platform high above the gym floor.  
Rick couldn't see the man's face. For that matter, the rest of him was also hard to make out.  
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a match!"  
"Challenge accepted; I am Giovanni," the man said. "I specialize in the earth. I am the toughest gym leader in the Indigo League."  
Rick gulped. The toughest gym leader in the Indigo League...considering how much trouble Rick had before, this wouldn't be easy.  
"You will use three Pokewomen; no time limit," the two guards said.  
Rick jumped. He hadn't seen them come inside.  
Wait a minute...these weren't the same guards.  
They wore the same armor, but their faces were different.  
"For my first Pokewoman, I select Sadira," Giovanni said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A brown-haired girl dressed in "street rat" clothes popped out.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at the Pokewoman.  
The Pokedex said, "Sadira. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Aladdin. She used to be a villainess, but has now reformed. At first she has little control over sand, limited to sand spells, but if she is trained to her very maximum potential, she will eventually gain mastery over all sand."  
"I choose Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Interesting choice," Giovanni said.  
Suddenly something slapped Birdie, knocking her to the ground.  
Rick then saw a hand made of very densely compacted sand lying on the ground. He figured this was what slapped Birdie.  
"What the---I didn't see Sadira cast any spell!" Rick shouted.  
"Of course not, I have trained Sadira past that liability," Giovanni said, chuckling. "She has been trained to her very maximum potential. Now she is a master of sand."  
Rick remembered the Pokedex's description of Sadira.  
No wonder Giovanni was the toughest gym leader in the Indigo League! He trained his Pokewomen so well that they far surpassed the abilities of the Pokewomen belonging to the other gym leaders.  
Rick began to sweat profusely. He knew he was in trouble. BIG time.  
He resolved that after this match, he'd train his own Pokewomen to the extreme. He'd only devoted a small amount of time to training them during this journey. It was a sheer miracle he had been able to collect the other seven badges.  
"Birdie, send some ice shards at Sadira!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice shards at Sadira.  
There was no movement, but suddenly "snowballs" rained down.  
I put snowballs in quotes because the balls were actually made of sand, and very densely compacted sand at that.  
Not only did the sand-balls knock the shards out of the air, they also forced Birdie to the ground.  
This was incredible. Sadira wasn't even moving. Giovanni must have trained her for a very long time.  
"Oh, by the way, out of the three Pokewomen that I have, this is my weakest," Giovanni said, intentionally rubbing it in.  
Rick was shocked. So far Sadira was kicking Birdie's (expletive deleted). If Sadira was Giovanni's _weakest_ Pokewomen...then what did that say about Giovanni's _other_ Pokewomen?  
Other...other...other...  
The word "other" gave Rick an idea. Sadira was relying on other forces, namely sand, to defeat her opponents for her. That probably meant Sadira herself didn't get much exercise. So if Rick or Birdie could trick Sadira into trying to match up physically against Birdie, Sadira wouldn't stand a chance.  
"Hey, Sadira, I could make sand castles out of your sand!" Rick shouted.  
"What was that?" Sadira asked, confused.  
Apparently that wasn't a good insult.  
"You're pathetic! I've known stuff at the bottom of my shoes that was smarter than you!" Rick shouted. If he could just make her mad enough, she might be foolish enough to challenge Birdie physically.  
"You're making a mistake," Sadira said, getting angry.  
"Ooh, I'm SO scared! NOT!" Rick shouted. "You're a coward! You let sand do all your dirty work! What'sa matter, does the little girl not wanna play?"  
"That tears it! I'll show you I'm not afraid to fight myself!" Sadira said, rushing at Birdie.  
"Don't do it! It's a trick!" Giovanni shouted.  
But it was too late.  
All Birdie had to do was give one kick to Sadira's head, and Sadira was out like a light.  
"Birdie is the winner!" the two guards said.  
Giovanni, disgusted, recalled Sadira.  
"Sand Card, go," Giovanni said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A girl made entirely out of sand appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Sand Card. She is from an Earth TV show called Cardcaptors. She not only has the ability to control sand, she also is entirely made up of it. She has only one real weakness, and that is to ice."  
Rick smirked, snapping his fingers.  
Birdie shot some ice at the Sand Card, instantly freezing her.  
"Birdie is the winner!" the two guards said.  
Giovanni's eyes widened. That had been an extremely quick victory.  
"You idiot! Why'd ya send out a card weak to ice against someone who could use ice?" Rick asked.  
"I thought I had trained her enough to beat you, but apparently you trained Birdie better," Giovanni said.  
Then he threw a third Poke Ball, saying, "Here's my strongest. Go, Earth Card."  
A very familiar-looking girl appeared.  
Rick then realized why she was familiar. Brock, the gym leader in Pewter City, had used an Earth Card, too.  
Giovanni saw the look of recognition of Rick's face and said, "You probably recognize her because of Brock. I'll have you know that I don't concentrate on wimpy rocks. _My_ Earth Card specializes in ground attacks."  
Then the Earth Card suddenly melted into the ground.  
Then, the ground violently humped up under Birdie, knocking her down.  
But the Earth Card wasn't finished. She did this repeatedly, knocking Birdie around like a rag doll.  
Then, before Rick could even say anything, Earth Card imprisoned Birdie in a bubble of earth, and then threw her against the wall.  
Then the Earth Card rushed at Birdie, slamming into her.  
After that, she slapped Birdie repeatedly with hands made of densely-packed earth.  
In short, Birdie was getting her butt kicked.  
"Oh my goodness!" Rick said. Now he could see why Giovanni was the toughest gym leader in the Indigo League.  
But Rick had an idea. He remembered that the Earth Card's weakness was trees, which the Earth Card couldn't affect.  
There were no trees, but maybe he could _make_ one.  
"Birdie, fashion some trees out of ice shards!" Rick said.  
Birdie complied, throwing millions of ice shards, building trees out of them.  
The Earth Card tried to break through, but it was helpless.  
"Now, trap her in a black bubble!" Rick shouted, remembering how the Pokedex had told him that was one of Birdie's powers during the incident where he'd tried to catch Birdie.  
Birdie motioned with her hands, and the Earth Card was trapped in the bubble.  
The Earth Card _violently_ tried to break out, but ended up exhausting herself in the process, and she fainted out of exhaustion.  
"Birdie is the winner! The winner of the match is Rick, from Pallet Town!" the two guards said.  
Giovanni was stunned, but being the calm man that he was, he quickly regained his composure.  
He recalled the Earth Card and threw Rick a leaf-shaped badge.  
"That is the Earth Badge," Giovanni said. "You now have all eight badges, so you may enter the Indigo League."  
"YES!!!" Rick screamed, recalling Birdie, putting his badge away, and rushing out of the gym.  
He planned to go back to Pallet Town to train, for soon he would be on the way to what had a small chance of turning out to be the final step in his adventure...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	22. Homecoming, And Then To Indigo Plateau!

Journey of Pokewomen Part 22: Homecoming, And Then To Indigo Plateau!  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Susan, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
Rick was on his way back to Pallet Town.  
He was very excited, and understandably so. Not only had he won all eight badges and gained access to the next Indigo League championship tournament, he'd also done it in less than a month. Most trainers spent a _year_ before getting all eight badges, and a few _never_ advanced their skills enough to get all eight badges.  
Rick had been very lucky, and he knew that.  
But he could not win the Indigo League on luck alone. All luck had to run out sooner or later.  
He would have to train his Pokewomen quite a lot in order to even make it past the first round.  
This was no pessimistic attitude. Rick knew firsthand how tough the gym leaders were, so winning all eight badges was no easy feat.  
That meant that anyone else who had the necessary badges to compete would have to be really tough.  
Finally, Rick reached Pallet Town.  
The first thing he did was go home to see his parents.  
  
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Rick called out upon stepping inside his house.  
His parents rushed to meet him.  
"You're back!" his mother said.  
"Yep, but that's not all I achieved," Rick said, holding up all eight badges.  
"Wow, you got all the badges! But it's been less than a month!" his father exclaimed.  
"I had great Pokewomen," Rick replied. "I just came back home so I could train for the Indigo League. When's the next Indigo League championship tournament, anyway?"  
"Not for several months," his father said. "You really finished your quest for the badges quite early."  
Then he patted his son on the head and said, "That's my boy!"  
"We're so proud of you!" his mother said.  
"Now Rick, once you do get into the league, it won't be easy," his father warned him.  
"Yeah, I know, I thought about that on the way here," Rick said.  
"Well, just remember, son, that there are usually dozens of trainers that compete," his father said. "Only three get medals, and only one gets the title of Pokewomen Master."  
"Which three get medals?" Rick asked.  
"The top three ranking individuals," his mother said. "And those include the Pokewomen Master."  
"So don't get your hopes up," his father said.  
Then his father reconsidered.  
"However, I do hear that the Pokewomen Master gets a trophy to go along with the medal," he continued. "I also hear that after every year's tournament, the Pokewomen Master of each year's tournament gains access to the Pokewomen world's most closely guarded secret."  
"Really?" Rick asked, interested.  
"That's right," his mother said. "Now since the Indigo League's been in effect for quite some time, there are now more people who know that secret than you might think. However, anyone who learns the secret is sworn to secrecy, so don't think you'll learn that secret in any other way than winning the tournament."  
"How are the rankings determined?" Rick asked.  
"By a combination of who wins each round and how well the winners and losers fight," his father said. "As for the three top rankings, the first-place winner and Pokewomen Master is determined by who wins all the rounds of the tournament."  
"Then," his mother explained, "the second-place winner is the one who wins all the rounds but the last, and that's always the one who loses to the first-place winner."  
"Finally, the third-place winner is determined between the two people who lost the second-to-last round," his father concluded. "It's determined by which one of those two people fought better than the other."  
Rick nodded.  
"Thanks for telling me," he said. "How many rounds is the tournament made up of?"  
"That might depend on how many people compete in the tournament," his mother said, "but beyond that I don't know how they decide."  
"Ok. I think I'll go to Professor Oak," Rick said. "He might tell me something I missed."  
With that, he rushed out of the house and headed towards Professor Oak's laboratory.  
  
When he got there, he headed inside.  
Inside, he saw Professor Oak, and he also saw the girl who had selected Sailor Neptune at the same time Rick himself had selected Saria.  
Oddly, though, he did not see the girl who had selected Twinrova.  
"Ah, good to see you, Rick," Professor Oak said.  
"Look what I did!" Rick said, holding up his eight badges.  
The girl was shocked.  
"Where'd you get the Earth Badge?" she asked.  
"First, tell me your name," Rick said.  
"My name is Susan. Now tell me where you won the Earth Badge!" the girl shouted.  
"The gym is in Viridian City," Rick said.  
"You see, Susan came to me because she didn't know where the last gym was," Professor Oak said. "In fact, just before you came in, I just finished telling her that I'm getting old, and that I've forgotten many things, including where the last gym is."  
"Ok, thanks Rick, I'm gonna get that Earth Badge!" Susan said, rushing out of the laboratory.  
"Anyway," Professor Oak said when Susan had left, "congratulations on your achievement. You can now gain access to the Indigo League."  
"Where is the Indigo League, anyway?" Rick asked.  
"Atop the Indigo Plateau," Professor Oak said. "Go west of Viridian City, and keep going straight ahead. You'll eventually reach it. Of course, that won't help you now, because the next championship tournament doesn't start until several months from now."  
"Ok, I'm going to train until then," Rick said, rushing out of the laboratory.  
  
And train Rick did.  
Every day, Rick kept training his Pokewomen. He didn't overwork them, but he didn't let them slack off, either.  
Of course, he let them have fun, sleep, eat, and drink, too.  
Day by day, week by week, the training slowly began to pay off.  
Even Cassie, the cute little pink dragon from Dragon Tales, was beginning to show potential for battle.  
Now Rick was glad Cassie had learned to breathe fire during that battle against Erika, the Celadon City gym leader.  
Slowly, the months passed.  
Finally, the day arrived.  
On that morning, Professor Oak came to the backyard behind Rick's house, where Rick had done all that training, and said, "Rick, today's the day. The Indigo League championship tournament starts today. You'd best get going if you wanna get there in time to sign up."  
"Oh boy! Did you hear that, everyone?" Rick asked all six of his Pokewomen.  
"Yes, I think it will be very nice competing against the best," Saria said, smiling.  
"I hope this training you put us through pays off," Pixie said.  
"Yeah, with all that training, you better not screw up!" Inque said nastily.  
"I don't like hurting anyone, but for your sake, since you were nice to me when Damian was mean, I'll do it," Cassie said.  
Anita, _as usual_, said absolutely nothing.  
"Ha! I'll be sure to give your opponents what for!" Birdie said.  
"Well then, it's off to the Indigo League!" Rick said dramatically, recalling all his Pokewomen.  
He then set off to the Indigo League.  
He was sweating, but that was to be expected.  
After all, Rick wasn't so stupid as not to realize that every single match would be aired on television.  
So, where he was going, Rick would either humiliate himself in front of his entire home town plus his parents and Professor Oak, or he would become a Pokewomen Master, and would make his town proud...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	23. First Match: Water Field

Journey of Pokewomen Part 23: First Match: Water Field  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
After a long time walking, Rick finally reached the Indigo Plateau.  
It was humongous.  
There were five different stadiums, and one receptionist area, and some paths connecting everything.  
Rick hurried inside the receptionist area.  
  
Once inside, he walked up to the receptionist.  
"Hi, I'd like to enter the Indigo League," Rick said.  
"Ok, please give me your badges so I can authenticate them," the receptionist said.  
Rick handed her his badges.  
The woman ran the badges through a scanner, then handed them back to Rick.  
"I see that all eight of your badges have been proven to be authentic," the receptionist said. "You qualify for entrance into the Indigo League. Please state your name and where you live."  
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town," Rick said.  
"Very well, let me enter it into the computer," the receptionist said, typing it into her computer.  
Once she finished, she said, "You have now been officially entered as a challenger. Would you like to know the rules?"  
Rick was about to say no, since he'd already heard some of them from his parents, but he figured he might still not know everything, and he didn't want to be disqualified just for accidentally breaking a rule.  
"Yes," Rick replied.  
"Very well," the receptionist said. "This is a single elimination tournament, which means if you lose one match, you are out of the tournament. For your first four matches, you must battle in the Water, Ice, Rock, and Grass fields, and the order you fight them in is determined psuedo-randomly. If you win all four matches, you will get to battle in the Indigo Stadium for the remainder of the tournament. For your first five matches, you may only use three Pokewomen to battle, but during the sixth match and onward you may use all six Pokewomen. You must show up for each match at the appointed time, or you are disqualified. During this entire tournament, Indigo League challengers may buy food from any nearby restaurants for free, and you may go to a Poke Center between matches to heal your Pokewomen. Any questions?"  
"No," Rick said.  
"Very well," the receptionist said.  
She typed something into her computer, and a screen suddenly showed an four-squared image of a raindrop, a snowflake, a rock, and blades of grass.  
The receptionist then pressed a blue button next to the computer, and a highlighted square superimposed itself on the screen, highlighting each square in turn rapidly.  
"Press the button again, and whatever square the highlighter square stops on corresponds to the field you will be battling on," the receptionist said.  
Rick pressed the button, and the highlighted square stopped on the picture of a raindrop.  
"That's the Water field," the receptionist said. "Now I will have the computer select your opponent."  
The receptionist typed something else into her computer, and a picture of Rick appeared on the screen.  
Then, a picture of Rick's opponent appeared.  
The opponent was a boy with long blue hair dressed in a pink shirt and white pants.  
"Who's that?" Rick asked.  
"His name's Mandi," the receptionist said.  
She then handed Rick a slip of paper that had the time of the match written on it.  
"Be at the Water field at this time, and good luck," the receptionist said.  
"Thanks!" Rick said.  
  
Later, after Mandi had been informed somewhere else that Rick would be battling him, Rick headed outside to enjoy the sights, and to his surprised, he saw Mandi, the opponent he'd be fighting against.  
Rick rushed up to him.  
"Hey, Mandi, turns out I'll be your opponent!" Rick said.  
"You? You will lose quickly," Mandi said. "I am the Astounding Mandi. I am a famous magician. Observe."  
With that, Mandi made some hand motions, and some birds appeared out of nowhere, diving into the air. (Author's Note: What, you thought this world didn't have regular animals?)  
"Hey, pretty cool trick!" Rick said, clapping his hands.  
"That was nothing," Mandi said. "I have gotten on television networks with tricks better than that. Another reason why I am famous enough to appear on television is because of my exciting battle style. You are no match for me by far."  
With that, Mandi rudely walked off.  
"What an arrogant jerk," Rick said. He resisted the urge to come after him by thinking of how he'd humiliate him later.  
  
Speaking of later, when the time of the match arrived...  
  
Rick walked to the Water field.  
He was nervous. This would be his first match in the Indigo League.  
Since Mandi was famous, Rick would win much glory if he won.  
If he lost...he'd suffer the humiliation of losing his very first match.  
And this was single elimination. One lost match cost one the Indigo League.  
Rick eventually got to the Water field, and discovered that the name had been deserved.  
The "field" was actually a very large pool, with many platforms.  
The crowd cheered upon Rick's appearance.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, here come one of the challengers of this match now! I introduce the Red trainer: Rick, from Pallet Town!" the announcer said.  
Hearing the announcer introduce him as the Red trainer, Rick climbed onto a red platform that was out of the pool's range. He guessed this was where he'd give battle commands from.  
Then, Mandi appeared, and the crowd cheered even louder.  
"And here comes the Green trainer: The Astounding Mandi, the fan favorite!" the announcer said.  
Rick groaned. If Mandi was the favorite everyone would be rooting for him.  
Mandi got on to a green platform that was also out of the pool's range. Rick guessed this was where Mandi would give battle commands from.  
Rick looked over to the side of the pool and noticed a referee standing there.  
The referee would make sure both trainers played fair and would also announce victors.  
"Now, let the battle begin!" the announcer said.  
"Go, Anita!" Rick said, sending out Anita.  
Rick didn't have any Pokewomen who were great in water, so maybe someone with telekinetic powers might thrive on lots of water to control.  
"And Rick has chosen Anita, a little girl who is extremely silent and has telekinetic powers!" the announcer said. "Now, let's see who the Astounding Mandi chooses!"  
"Go, Sailor Mercury!" Mandi said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A blue-haired girl in a sailor fuku appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Sailor Mercury. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. She has an IQ of 300, can call up a visor to scan opponents, and has four attacks."  
"And Mandi chooses Sailor Mercury, the Sailor Scout who specializes in ice and water!" the announcer said.  
The referee raised both flags, and said, "Let the match begin!"  
"Sailor Mercury, scan Anita's weaknesses with your visor," Mandi commanded.  
Sailor Mercury nodded and called up her visor.  
But then there was a blue flash, the signature of Anita using her telekinetic powers, and the visor was thrown into the water.  
The visor shorted out temporarily sending electricity through the water, and then it was still.  
"Ooh, what a start! Mandi's strategy has been thwarted by the powers of this amazing little girl!" the announcer said. After all, the announcer was paid to make witty comments throughout each match.  
There was another blue flash, and Sailor Mercury was telekinetically thrown into the air.  
"And Sailor Mercury's been thrown sky-high!" the announcer said. Then he chuckled and said, "Of course, folks, that's nothing new, as the Sailor Scouts have always been able to survive high jumps. High falls shouldn't be that much of a problem either."  
Indeed, Sailor Mercury landed expertly on her feet.  
"Try your first attack," Mandi said.  
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury said, throwing so many bubbles that the area was filled with fog.  
"It's like pea soup out there!" the announcer said.  
There was yet another blue flash, and the fog was telekinetically lifted into outer space, where it instantly dissipated.  
"Try your second attack," Mandi commanded.  
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury said.  
These bubbles hit Anita, and they froze her.  
"Wow, finally Sailor Mercury landed a move! If Anita can't escape, she'll be ruled out for being unable to continue battling," the announcer said.  
"Come on, get that ice off of you!" Rick shouted.  
There was still another blue flash, and the ice was instantly on Sailor Mercury instead. Apparently those months of training had paid off.  
Now it was Sailor Mercury who couldn't move.  
"Hmm?" Mandi asked, confused.  
"The tables have been turned!" the announcer shouted.  
Moments passed, and Sailor Mercury was unable to unfreeze herself.  
"Sailor Mercury is unable to continue the battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
"Yes!" Rick shouted.  
Anita, as usual, said absolutely nothing, with no change of expression.  
On the scoreboard, which was composed of two portraits, one of each challenger, and three red lights and three green lights, one of the green lights dimmed.  
"Mandi is one Pokewoman down, and must make up for lost ground," the announcer said.  
"You had some beginner's luck," Mandi said. "But let's see you luck your way through this!"  
Mandi then threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Storm!"  
A white-haired lady in a grey jumpsuit with a cape popped out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Storm. This is a character from a TV series and comic books called X-Men. Storm is a mutant with the ability to control the weather. Although she cannot create the weather, she can take certain things from other places. For example, although she cannot create rain, she can bring rain from somewhere else. Her real name is Ororo Monroe. As a miscellaneous skill, she is an excellent pickpocket."  
"Let's whirl things up!" Mandi said.  
"All right," Storm said.  
Storm concentrated.  
Suddenly, a tornado appeared.  
The tornado sucked up some of the water in the pool and became a waterspout.  
"Wow, this is incredible! With some deft manuevering, Mandi had Storm create a waterspout!" the announcer said. "This is getting exciting!"  
Anita was sucked into the waterspout, and was tossed around quite a lot.  
In fact, she couldn't get out of the waterspout.  
"Uh-oh, Anita looks like a rubber ducky in a whirlpool, to the third power!" the announcer said.  
"Anita, you've got to take control of the waterspout!" Rick said.  
There was a blue flash, and suddenly Anita was still, not moving within the waterspout.  
Then, the waterspout headed towards Storm. Anita had succeeded in taking control of it.  
"Anita's a regular Pecos Bill out there!" the announcer said. "She's taken control of a waterspout like Pecos Bill took control of the tornado in the famous tall tale!"  
"That won't get you an easy victory," Mandi remarked.  
Indeed, Storm was already flying high above the waterspout.  
But, with another blue flash, Anita telekinetically sucked all of the water in the pool into the waterspout, making the waterspout grow larger.  
Storm was sucked into the waterspout.  
After tossing Storm about, Anita had the waterspout throw her hard against one of the platforms.  
Storm landed headfirst and was knocked unconscious.  
Then, with one more blue flash, the waterspout was gone, all the water having gone back in the pool.  
Anita landed softly on her feet on another platform.  
"Storm is out of the match!" the referee said, raising the red flag again.  
On the scoreboard, another one of Mandi's lights went out.  
"Amazing! Taking control of the waterspout a la Pecos Bill, Anita has defeated another Pokewoman!" the announcer said. "Now Mandi must stage a magical comeback. Can he win this match with his only remaining Pokewoman?"  
"The answer is he can and he will," Mandi said.  
Mandi, using a magic trick he learned as a magician, levitated a Poke Ball into the air.  
"And now, fans...may I present...Gi! Go!" Mandi said, sending out his final Pokewoman.  
A young black-haired girl with a blue ring popped out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Gi. This is a character from an Earth cartoon called Captain Planet. Gi is one of the Planeteers. With her ring, she has the ability to completely control water.  
The announcer, overhearing that description, said, "This must be the ace Mandi had up his sleeve! With complete control over water, and with a water field to fight on, Gi will be a devastating opponent!"  
"Gi, wash her away!" Mandi commanded.  
Gi concentrated, and her ring sent out blue waves, hitting the water.  
Suddenly, _lots_ of small waterspouts shot up.  
"Uh-oh, trouble!" the announcer said. "Things don't look good for Anita!"  
With more concentration, Gi sent all of the waterspouts towards Anita.  
With lots of blue flashes, Anita sent each waterspout away.  
All but one.  
That one got to Anita before she could telekinetically deflect it, and the waterspout sent her up into the air.  
That ring is going to cause a lot of trouble during this match, Rick thought.  
The ring!  
"Anita, get the ring away from her!" Rick said.  
Anita, landing on her feet, telekinetically lifted the ring from Gi's finger.  
Then Anita took the ring.  
"Give me back my ring!" Gi, shouted, beginning to jump across the platforms to get to Anita.  
"That's right, Rick figured out that without Gi's ring, Gi was powerless!" the announcer said.  
That's when Rick remembered that Anita had another attack, besides the telekinetic powers.  
"Anita, do your Love For You move!" Rick shouted.  
Anita pointed her finger at Gi.  
Suddenly, about a hundred or so dolls' heads appeared out of nowhere, flying at Gi.  
Gi's eyes widened, and she was hit with all of the heads.  
It was like being hit with a hundred or so hailstones.  
Gi didn't have a chance, and was immediately knocked unconscious.  
"Gi is unable to battle! The winner of the match is the Red trainer, Rick!" the referee said, not only raising the red flag but also pointing it at Rick. Pointing it at Rick signified that Rick won the battle.  
On the scoreboard, not only did Mandi's last light go out, but the scoreboard changed to say, "Congratulations, Rick!"  
"Rick has done it!" the announcer screamed. "Rick has won a _devastating_ upset victory over the fan favorite without losing a _single Pokewoman_!"  
"But I am the Astounding Mandi..." Mandi said to himself. "How could I lose...?"  
Mandi recalled both Gi and her ring into the same Poke Ball, Anita willingly giving up the ring.  
Then, as the crowd went wild over such a surprising victory, Mandi walked off.  
Rick cheered, recalling Anita.  
Well. That hadn't gone too badly. However, Rick still had a long way to go in the Indigo League before he found out how good he was as a trainer...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	24. Second Match: Rock Field

Journey of Pokewomen Part 24: Second Match: Rock Field  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick and Jill, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's first match, and Rick had already pseudo-randomly selected a field and an opponent for the second round of the Indigo League the same way he'd selected the Astounding Mandi on the Water Field for the first round of the Indigo League.  
It turned out he would be fighting on the Rock field, and he'd be fighting against some girl named Jill.  
In fact, he was standing on the red platform on the Rock Field right now. Rick had been chosen to be the Red trainer again.  
A girl with blond hair and wearing a green jumpsuit hopped onto the green platform. She was obviously Jill, the Green trainer.  
"And now, a second round Indigo League match is about to begin!" the announcer said.  
"Pixie, go!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
"I choose Mileena!" Jill said, sending out a young woman in a purple ninja outfit.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Mileena. She is a character from a series of Earth video games called Mortal Kombat. She is an expert at martial arts, can throw energy daggers, has a teleport kick move where she disappears into the ground only to reappear above the opponent to kick them, can knock the opponents off their feet with a rolling move, and has various different ways of outright killing an opponent. These ways include repeatedly stabbing the opponent with daggers, eating the opponent and spitting out the bones, putting an amount of nails that would fill up a can into her mouth only to spit them at the opponent, and turning into a skunk and killing them with poisonous fumes. Of course, in the Pokewomen world, it is forbidden to use these capabilites to kill an opponent under pain of arrest. Mileena also can also make friends by looking into a mirror that breaks upon having her reflection in it, plus she can turn the opponent into a baby."  
Rick gulped. That was one long description. Obviously Mileena was pretty tough.  
Rick said as much to Pixie, who replied, "Ha! I can kick this woman's---"  
"Now, let the battle begin!" the announcer interrupted.  
"Pixie, throw an energy ball!" Rick said.  
"Maybe I should tell you right now, it's called the 'big bang'," Pixie said. (Author's Note: I've recently found out that's what Pixie calls it in the Monster Rancher show.)  
Then Pixie threw the newly christened 'big bang' at Mileena.  
"Mileena, cancel it out!" Jill called.  
Mileena threw energy daggers, cancelling out the 'big bang'.  
"Pixie, ram into Mileena!" Rick called.  
Pixie flew downwards, attempting to knock Mileena off her feet.  
Pixie succeeded, smashing Mileena into a rock.  
"Mileena, use your teleport kick!" Jill said.  
Rick grinned. His Pokedex had said that the teleport kick had Mileena disappear into the ground, and then reappear above.  
So Rick knew where to have Pixie attack.  
As Mileena was disappearing into the ground, Rick said, "Pixie, fire a big bang above you!"  
Pixie obeyed, firing her big bang attack straight above her.  
Good thing, too, because just then Mileena appeared.  
Mileena got blasted with the big bang and was knocked unconscious.  
"Mileena is out of the match!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
"Darn it!" Jill said, recalling Mileena.  
"Ooh, an early victory!" the announcer said. "That was quick. Let's hope Jill's next Pokewomen is better."  
"Oh it is, trust me," Jill said. She threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Cammy!"  
A woman dressed in a combat suit jumped out.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Cammy. This is a character from a series of Earth video games called Street Fighter. Cammy is an expert at martial arts and has a number of special techniques and also a number of extremely powerful moves that can be very damaging."  
"This is gonna be good!" the announcer said.  
"Cammy, do a Cannon Drill!" Jill said.  
"What the heck is a---" Rick began, but then he was interrupted when Cammy spun _horizontally through the air_ feet-first, slamming into Pixie.  
"Now follow it up with a Thrust Kick!" Jill said.  
Cammy landed on the ground, and then jumped vertically into the air, one of her feet sticking at a diagonally-up angle.  
But Pixie dodged this attack and blasted Cammy to the ground with a big bang.  
But Cammy got back up again.  
"Ooh, good thing Cammy's more resilient than Mileena was," the announcer said.  
"Cammy, try that Axel...Knuckle...thingy...whatever you call it!" Jill said.  
Cammy spun around and tried a backhand.  
Except Pixie was too high up, and Cammy missed.  
Pixie grinned, and then bowled Cammy over with a sonic blast.  
But even after this powerful attack that Rick had taught Pixie to defeat Lt. Surge, Cammy was _still_ up.  
"Now for the big guns. Cammy, do your Spin Drive Smasher!" Jill said.  
Suddenly everything darkened, while Cammy flashed.  
Then everything returned to normal brightness.  
Cammy did a Cannon Drill.  
Or at least that's what it looked like to Rick at first.  
Except then Rick noticed that Cammy had shadows trailing behind her.  
Cammy slammed into Pixie, but this time, instead of just slamming into Pixie, Cammy's legs hit Pixie multiple times.  
Then, Cammy went into a Thrust Kick.  
Or At least that's what it looked like to Rick at first.  
Except then Rick noticed that Cammy had shadows trailing behind her.  
Again.  
Cammy slammed into Pixie, but this time, instead of just slamming into Pixie, Cammy's legs hit Pixie multiple times.  
Again.  
After this two-phase attack, Pixie fell to the rocky floor of the Rock field.  
"This is incredible!" the announcer said. "This super attack has knocked Pixie senseless! This might be over for Pixie!"  
Come on...Rick pleaded. Get up!  
The referee was about to rule Pixie out of the match when Rick's months of training Pixie and the other Pokewomen paid off.  
Pixie stood up.  
"Wow! Pixie pulled through!" the announcer said.  
"No problem! Do another Cannon Drill!" Jill said.  
"I don't think so! Try some lightning!" Rick shouted.  
As Cammy did a Cannon Drill, Pixie shocked her with lightning.  
Cammy soon fell unconscious.  
"Cammy is out of the match!" the referee said.  
"And another victory, but this time not so easily gained," the announcer said. "Now Jill has only one Pokewoman left."  
"Go, Nakoruru!" Jill said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A girl with _very_ long black hair, wearing a red-and-white outfit, and with a sword and a cape, popped out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Nakoruru. This is a character from a series of games called Samurai Showdown. She is adept with a sword and a cape, and has many techniques. She is of the Ainu race."  
"This'll be a cinch," Rick said. "Some lightning should do the trick."  
Pixie threw lightning at Nakoruru.  
Nakoruru leaped aside.  
"Anna Mutsube!" Nakoruru said.  
She literally _slid_ along the ground, covered with energy, sword outstretched.  
Pixie flew into the air, doding the attack, but Nakoruru was ready for that.  
"Lela Mutsube!" Nakoruru said, doing another version of the Anna Mutsube attack.  
This time she flew into the air doing the move.  
Pixie tried to fly to the side, but the attack grazed her arm anyway.  
"Wow, looks like Nakoruru's come prepared! She's obviously been well-trained," the announcer said.  
"Try a big bang!" Rick shouted.  
Pixie threw her big bang attack at Nakoruru.  
But Nakoruru came prepared for this, too.  
She flicked her cape, deflecting the big bang back at Pixie.  
Pixie was blasted onto the ground, and Nakoruru leaped on her, pinning her to the ground.  
Nakoruru held her sword high, ready to deliver the finishing blow.  
Sword...  
That's it! Rick thought. Most swords were made of metal, and Nakoruru's sword looked like it was made of metal, too.  
And as anyone interested in science would know, metal conducts electricity.  
"Pixie, fire some lightning through her sword!" Rick said.  
Pixie sent electricity through Nakoruru's sword.  
Nakoruru's hair stood on end as the electricity travelled from the sword into her.  
Nakoruru stepped back, faltering.  
"Now a sonic blast!" Rick said.  
Pixie concentrated and clapped her hands together at a speed that broke the sound barrier.  
Doing the sonic blast, Pixie knocked Nakoruru clear to the other side of the field.  
Nakoruru slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
"No!" Jill shouted.  
"Nakoruru is out of the match! The winner of the match is the Red trainer, Rick!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it at Rick.  
"Yahoo!" Rick said.  
"I knew I could win," Pixie said.  
The crowd cheered, as both trainers recalled their Pokewomen.  
As Jill walked off, Rick reflected on how he'd won yet another round of the Indigo League. But he wasn't a Pokewomen master yet by far...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	25. Third Match: Ice Field

Journey of Pokewomen Part 25: Third Match: Ice Field  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's second match, and Rick had already pseudo-randomly selected a field and an opponent for the third round of the Indigo League.  
It turned out he would be fighting on the Ice field, and he'd be fighting against a black-haired green-shirted boy named Pete Pebbleman, who lived in Pewter City.  
In fact, he was standing on the red platform on the Ice Field right now. Rick had been chosen to be the Red trainer again.  
Pete Pebbleman was the Green trainer.  
"And now, a third round Indigo League match is about to begin!" the announcer said.  
"All right! I choose Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"All right then...go, Mihoshi!" Pete said, sending out a blonde woman in a police suit.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Mihoshi. This is a character from an Earth TV series called Tenchi Muyo. She is not very bright, but is very cheerful. She is somewhat clumsy, but can sometimes win battles anyway by dumb luck. One should underestimate her at one's peril, because if she is well-trained, she can overcome her lack of intelligence to become a great fighter. She usually attacks with her gun."  
"Now both trainers have selected their Pokewomen," the announcer said. "Now, let the battle begin!"  
"Mihoshi, fire at her!" Pete commanded.  
Mihoshi fired her gun repeatedly, and orange lasers came out of it.  
"Birdie, turn yourself to ice!" Rick shouted.  
Birdie froze herself, and all the lasers did was shatter the ice.  
"Now cut her with ice shards!" Rick said.  
Birdie threw ice shards at Mihoshi.  
Mihoshi panicked and tried to dodge them.  
However, her feet slipped on the ice, and she fell.  
This got a laugh from most of the audience.  
"I guess Mihoshi's one person who won't be doing any smooth moves anytime soon," the announcer said.  
Mihoshi got up, only to see Birdie leaping at her.  
Mihoshi fired her lasers in a blind panic, and all of them missed.  
Birdie ended up knocking Mihoshi to the ground.  
The gun flew out of Mihoshi's hands.  
"Now, freeze her!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice at Mihoshi, freezing her solid.  
Without her gun, Mihoshi couldn't shoot her way out of the ice.  
"Mihoshi is unable to battle!" The referee said, raising the red flag.  
"Well, folks, I'd guess Birdie put Mihoshi _on ice_!" the announcer said. Then he laughed at his own joke.  
On the scoreboard, one of Pete's green lights went out.  
"Hmph. I never was able to train Mihoshi well anyway," Pete said, recalling Mihoshi.  
"Why not?" Rick asked, curious.  
"Because she's so stupid!" Pete said.  
"You idiot! Every Pokewoman is useful if well-trained!" Rick shouted at him.  
"Wrong, bozo! There are some that are just plain useless!" Pete called back.  
"Are not!" Rick shouted.  
"Are too!" Pete shouted back.  
"Are not!" Rick replied.  
"Are too!" Pete retorted.  
"Are not!" Rick screamed.  
"Are too!" Pete screamed back.  
"Both of you, _stop it_!" the referee said. "I can't disqualify you for this particular display of bad sportsmanship, but if you keep this up, you both will have a bad reputation for being immature."  
Both trainers looked sullen, but didn't say anything more.  
"Ooooooooh," the announcer said. "Sounds like these two trainers' different opinions on raising Pokewomen are causing a clash! This is getting exciting, folks!"  
"Kiyone, go!" Pete said, throwing another Poke Ball.  
A green-haired woman in a police outfit appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Kiyone. This is a character from an Earth TV series called Tenchi Muyo. She is earnest, smart, brave, and serious. However, she has little patience, as shown by how she is completely unable to deal with her partner Mihoshi's slight ineptitude. She is an expert with her gun."  
Rick grimaced. Kiyone sounded like a much tougher customer than Mihoshi had been.  
"Birdie, throw some ice shards!" Rick said.  
Birdie fired some ice shards at Kiyone. Pete snapped his fingers, and Kiyone instantly fired lasers out of her gun, shattering each of the ice shards.  
"Freeze her!" Rick said.  
This time Birdie shot some ice at Kiyone.  
Kiyone, however, was well-trained. She jumped up and leaped across glaciers standing on the icy field, dodging the ice.  
Then, Kiyone got close to Birdie, and she ended up slamming Birdie into a glacier.  
Then, Kiyone jumped away and started firing lasers.  
"Birdie, freeze yourself!" Rick said.  
Birdie froze herself, and just like the battle with Mihoshi, all the lasers did was shatter the ice.  
"Not _again_!" Pete said, slapping his forehead in dismay.  
"Trap her in a black ball!" Rick said.  
Birdie concentrated, and Kiyone suddenly found herself in a black ball.  
Birdie ran up and repeatedly kicked the ball into a glacier.  
With the repeated slammings, Kiyone eventually lost consciousness.  
"Kiyone is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
Pete cursed, recalling Kiyone.  
"And another victory for Birdie!" the announcer said. "I hope Pete has an ace up his sleeve, or this match will be over in a jiffy!"  
"As a matter of fact, I _do_ have an ace up my sleeve," Pete said.  
He threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Ryo-Ohki!"  
A cabbit came out of the Poke Ball.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Ryo-Ohki. Ryo-Ohki is from an Earth TV series called Tenchi Muyo. She looks harmless, but she has transformation abilities."  
"Ryo-Ohki is my most powerful Pokewoman," Pete said smugly. "You don't have a chance."  
"Oh yeah? Birdie, freeze Ryo-Ohki solid!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice at Ryo-Ohki.  
Ryo-Ohki, however, nimbly jumped aside.  
Then she started to transform.  
Rick was expecting some larger version of Ryo-Ohki. Well, no problem.  
Except that's not what Ryo-Ohki transformed into.  
"What the...she's a freakin' _spaceship_!!!" Rick exclaimed.  
"Wow, unbelievable!" the announcer said. "Ryo-ohki's gone from animal to machine! A large machine, at that!"  
Birdie was shocked, too.  
"Now, fire!" Pete said.  
Birdie froze herself again for the coming attack.  
Ryo-Ohki fired lasers from the spaceship that she was now.  
Birdie froze herself again.  
But Ryo-Ohki truly was Pete's most powerful Pokewoman.  
The lasers not only shattered the ice, they also blasted Birdie repeatedly.  
"Now finish her off!" Pete said.  
Ryo-Ohki flew down and crashed into Birdie.  
Birdie was sent rolling along the field, and Ryo-Ohki blasted her with more lasers.  
Under this onslaught, Birdie fainted.  
"Birdie is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
"Nyah-nyah!" Pete said, sticking his tongue out at Rick. "Who has the more idiotic style of raising Pokewomen _now_?"  
Rick promised himself he would _not_ lose to this jerk who thought one should only raise Pokewomen that looked powerful.  
But what could Rick use against a _spaceship_?  
Saria had the powers of being a Forest Sage on her side, but Rick wasn't sure plants could reach the spaceship if it flew high, and it took time to fire the energy attack Saria had learned while battling Brock's Pokewoman.  
Only an idiot would use Inque on this field. Rick was pretty sure the field was ice only because the top of the water was ice. Should the spaceship blast holes in the ice, all it would have to do is dump Inque in the water to finish her off.  
Rick didn't think Cassie could measure up to the firepower of the spaceship.  
Anita had telekinetic powers, but could even _she_ telekinetically move a spaceship? Rick didn't know, and he didn't want to test it right now.  
Pixie, on the other hand, might have a chance. She could fly, and she had a lot of firepower.  
"Go, Pixie!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
"And Rick has chosen Pixie to combat Ryo-Ohki's awesome firepower!" the announcer said.  
"Ryo-Ohki, you know what to do!" Pete said.  
"Pixie, fire wall!" Rick said.  
Ryo-Ohki fired her lasers at Pixie, but Pixie created a fire wall in front of her, blocking the lasers.  
"Now fire some lightning!" Rick said.  
Pixie shot lightning at Ryo-Ohki, but Ryo-Ohki flew out of the way.  
Pixie used a big bang attack, and the same thing happened.  
"Now, crash into her!" Pete said.  
Ryo-Ohki flew at Pixie, prepared to crash into her.  
"Pixie, wait for it, wait for it..." Rick said.  
Ryo-Ohki was getting closer to Pixie awfully fast.  
When Ryo-Ohki got close, Rick said, "Now! Use a sonic blast!"  
Pixie clapped her hands together and created a sonic boom, sending shockwaves at the ship.  
The force of the sonic blast slammed Ryo-Ohki into the ground.  
The spaceship transformed back into the cabbit, who was now unconscious.  
"Ryo-Ohki is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Rick, the Red trainer!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it to Rick.  
"Rick has done it! Losing only one Pokewoman, he has managed to beat Pete Pebbleman to go on to the fourth round of the Indigo League!" the announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.  
"Good job, Pixie," Rick said, recalling Pixie.  
Pete, meanwhile, stormed off after recalling Ryo-Ohki.  
That was three fields down. One more, and Rick could battle in the Indigo Stadium for the remaining rounds...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	26. Fourth Match: Grass Field

Journey of Pokewomen Part 26: Fourth Match: Grass Field  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's third match, and Rick had already pseudo-randomly selected a field and an opponent for the third round of the Indigo League.  
It turned out he would be fighting on the Grass field, and he'd be fighting against someone named Jeanette Fisher, who lived in some city Rick had never heard of before called Crimson City.  
In fact, he was standing on the red platform on the Grass Field right now. Rick had been chosen to be the Red trainer again.  
Jeanette Fisher was the Green trainer. She had purple hair, a red shirt, and blue-green pants.  
"And now, a fourth round Indigo League match is about to begin!" the announcer said.  
"Go, Lillymon!" Jeanette Fisher said, throwing a Poke Ball. (Author's Note: Yes, I know I called her Lilimon in my other fics, but I just found out that Lilimon is her Japanese name, and that the American name is actually Lillymon.)  
Something that looked like a cross between a human lady and a pink plant appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Lillymon. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Digimon. She is not very aggressive, and in fact actually has a caring personality. However, she is no slouch in battle. She has a Flower Cannon attack in which her hands turn into a cannon and fires a green energy ball at opponents, and she can also create a flower wreath that can destroy computer viruses."  
"Wow. Anti-virus software, eat your heart out," Rick quipped.  
"Jeanette Fisher has chosen to start off the battle with Lillymon!" The announcer said. "Let's see what Rick chooses to combat the plant-lady."  
"I'll fight nature with nature. Go, Saria!" Rick said, sending out Saria.  
"Rick has chosen Saria, the Forest Sage!" the announcer said. "Now, let the battle begin!"  
Lillymon flew into the air.  
"Flower Cannon!" Lillymon said, turning her hands into a cannon and firing an energy ball at Saria.  
"Saria, jump!" Rick said.  
The months of training Rick had done before the Indigo League paid off.  
Saria was able to jump over the Flower Cannon.  
"Now, use your Forest Sage powers to make the grass on this field grow," Rick said. "Camoflage is always good in battle."  
Saria concentrated.  
Suddenly the grass grew at many times the normal rate, until they eventually covered Saria.  
"Ooh, smart move!" the announcer said. "With the grass having grown, Lillymon will not be able to see Saria from the air."  
Indeed, Lillymon was hovering from left to right, trying to spot Saria, but in vain.  
"Now charge up your energy attack," Rick said.  
Saria concentrated, gathering green energy.  
This was a mistake. Lillymon spotted the energy, using it to pinpoint Saria's location.  
"Flower Cannon!" Lillymon said, firing her Flower Cannon again.  
This time it blasted Saria off her feet.  
But as Saria was lying on the ground, she unleashed her energy attack.  
Lillymon screamed as she was blasted by the attack.  
She fell to the ground, unconscious, and Saria got up.  
"Lillymon can no longer battle," the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Jeanette Fisher's lights went out.  
"And an amazing victory!" the announcer said. "A devastating energy attack has knocked one of Jeanette Fisher's Pokewomen. Now, let's see what Pokewoman Jeanette Fisher chooses to counter the Forest Sage."  
"Go, Koume!" Jeanette said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A witch with white hair with a red jewel came out.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Koume. This is a character from an Earth video game called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and also from an Earth video game called Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. In the former she is evil, but in the latter she is good. She has the power to shoot fire, and is one of the two witches that can join into Twinrova."  
Rick remembered Twinrova. Twinrova had been one of the starting choices in Pallet Town, and A.J. had one. If Koume had to join with someone else to make Twinrova, she couldn't be any tougher than Twinrova was.  
"Koume, burn her!" Jeanette said.  
Rick sweatdropped. He remembered how easily fire burns plants.  
However, fire couldn't burn energy.  
"Saria, do another energy attack!" Rick said.  
Saria blasted more green energy at Koume.  
The green energy tore through the fire and hit Koume.  
Koume screamed, and she was blasted into the wall of the field.  
Unbelievably, she fell unconscious at that moment.  
"Koume can no longer battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Jeanette's lights went out.  
"Whoa! That's gotta be the quickest victory in the history of the Indigo League!" the announcer said. "I hope Jeanette's last Pokewoman is tougher than that!"  
"It certainly is! Go, Impa!" Jeanette said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
An old woman in battle gear appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Impa. This is a character from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She is the Shadow Sage, and those powers give her complete control over shadows. She may be old, but do not underestimate her."  
"So it's Sage against Sage!" the announcer said. "This oughta be a good battle."  
"Let's see how well Saria battles in the dark," Jeanette said, chuckling.  
Impa concentrated, using her Shadow Sage powers.  
The field was blanketed in darkness.  
The trainers' platforms, the audience, and the announcer's booth was positioned above the field, so they could still see, but Saria couldn't see in the dark.  
"Now kick her butt!" Jeanette said.  
Impa could apparently see quite well in the dark, because she jumped to Saria immediately and began punching and kicking her.  
Saria was unable to tell where Impa was, and was therefore unable to defend herself.  
"Uh-oh, this doesn't look good for Saria!" the announcer said. "She can't fight what she can't see!"  
Rick groaned. If Saria got knocked out, Rick didn't think his other Pokewomen would be able to see in the dark as well as Saria can.  
The crowd was shouting in anticipation.  
Rick heard them clearly, but Saria could hear them even more clearly. After all, she had big ears.  
_Big ears!_  
"That's _it_!" Rick shouted. "Saria, don't trust your eyes, trust your ears! Listen for Impa's attack, and use your plants to beat her!"  
Saria did as she was told.  
Impa jumped into the air, diving at Saria with a kick.  
But this time, Saria heard the whistle Impa made because of the wind resistance.  
Saria used her Forest Sage powers to conjure up some thorns, tossing them at Impa.  
Impa fell out of the air as she was pricked by the thorns.  
Then, Saria conjured a petrified tree, making it fall towards Impa.  
"Uh-oh..." Impa said, and then the falling tree hit her in the head, knocking her out.  
"Impa can no longer battle! The winner of the match is Rick, from Pallet Town!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it to Rick.  
On the scoreboard, Jeanette's final light went out.  
"Rick has done it! Having won all four rounds, he can now go on to battle in the Indigo Stadium in the fifth round!" the announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.  
"Nice work, Saria," Rick said, recalling Saria.  
Well, this was quite an accomplishment. Four down, three to go.  
But could Rick defeat the remaining opponents? He would soon find out...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	27. Fifth Match: Indigo Stadium

Journey of Pokewomen Part 27: Fifth Match: Indigo Stadium  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's fourth match, and Rick had already pseudo-randomly selected an opponent for the fifth round of the Indigo League.  
It turned out he would be fighting in the Indigo Stadium, and he'd be fighting against someone named Richie.  
In fact, he was standing on the red platform in the Indigo Stadium right now. Rick had been chosen to be the Red trainer again.  
Richie was the Green trainer. He had a blue-green hat, some blue-green clothes with yellow on them, and brown hair. (Author's note: Yes, this IS the same Richie that Ash befriended in the Pokemon League in the Pokemon show)  
"And now, a fifth round Indigo League match is about to begin!" the announcer said.  
"Nice to meet you!" Richie said politely.  
"Nice to meet you too, yada yada, can we just get on with the match, please?" Rick asked impatiently.  
"Suit yourself. Go, Pink Suezo!" Richie said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A strange creature came out.  
She basically consisted of a large eyeball, pink skin, a mouth, a tail, and little winglets attached to her head.  
That was basically it. Besides her tail, she had no limbs.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Pink Suezo. This is a character from an Earth video game called Monster Rancher 2. She is a monster, and is actually a crossbreed between a Suezo and a Pixie, with Suezo as the main breed and Pixie as the sub-breed."  
Rick winced. He knew Pixie would probably not like being a sub-breed to anything.  
The Pokedex continued, "Pink Suezo looks harmless, but looks can be decieving. She is capable of telepathy, teleportation, and telekinesis. She can also attack by spitting, biting, licking, or whacking opponents with her tail. Therefore, she is a dangerous opponent."  
Looks can be deceiving, huh? Rick thought. Ok, let's put that to the test.  
"Go, Cassie!" Rick said, sending out Cassie.  
The announcer began to laugh.  
And laugh. And laugh.  
"Can you believe this, ladies and gentlemen? Rick has sent out a character from a _little kids' show_!" the announcer said, bursting with mirth. Apparently he knew who Cassie was.  
The audience began to laugh as well.  
"Hey, tell that little pink dragon from Dragon Tales that we want a serious fight!" some wiseacre called.  
"Yeah, that wimp couldn't beat a _dog_ in battle!" some other joker said.  
"Hey Cassie, go back to Dragon Land, girlie!" yet another yuckster said.  
Apparently the audience knew who Cassie was as well.  
Soon the whole stadium was collapsing with laughter, except of course for Rick and Cassie, and Richie and Pink Suezo.  
Cassie looked sad and disappointed, to say the least.  
She hid her face in embarassment.  
"_SHUT UP_!!!" Rick screamed at them all.  
How _dare_ they judge Cassie by what show she was from! Well, Rick would show them all that _any_ Pokewoman can become great if well-trained.  
And Rick had trained his Pokewomen for months before entering the Indigo League.  
Eventually the announcer and the audience stopped laughing, but only because they were beginning to get tired.  
"Now, let the battle begin!" the announcer said.  
"Cassie, ram into Pink Suezo!" Rick said.  
Cassie flew into the air and charged at Pink Suezo.  
"Pink Suezo, teleport!" Richie called.  
Pink Suezo disappeared in a flash of orange light.  
Then she reappeared behind Cassie, whacking her with her tail.  
Cassie was knocked backwards, but recovered from the blow.  
"Cassie, try breathing fire at it!" Rick said.  
Cassie breathed fire at Pink Suezo, but Pink Suezo merely teleported again.  
Then, again, Pink Suezo reappeared behind Cassie, whacking her with her tail.  
"This isn't working," Rick said.  
"You got that right," Richie said.  
Then, Pink Suezo teleported behind Cassie yet again, whacking her with her tail.  
That's when Rick noticed that Pink Suezo always teleported behind Cassie instead of any other direction.  
That gave Rick an idea. Obviously Richie had forgotton to train Pink Suezo to attack from different directions.  
"Cassie, just keep flying," Rick said.  
"Do another teleport attack!" Richie said.  
Pink Suezo teleported.  
Before Pink Suezo reappeared, Rick said, "Cassie, turn around and breathe fire behind you!"  
Cassie turned around behind her, and as Pink Suezo reappeared, ready to whack her with her tail, Cassie breathed fire right into her eye.  
"AAAAAH! My eye!" Pink Suezo said, hopping around in pain.  
"My eye is burning! Help, help!" Pink Suezo said.  
Eventually the pain became too much for Pink Suezo, and she fell unconscious.  
"Pink Suezo is unable to continue the battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Richie's lights went out.  
"Unbelievable!" the announcer shouted. "Cassie has...somehow...actually defeated one of Richie's opponents!"  
Rick smirked. He knew that because of Cassie's shy and loving nature, as she had been when Rick had first gotten her she could never have beaten anybody.  
But thanks to the training that Rick had given her, Cassie was now actually a good fighter.  
Richie recalled Pink Suezo.  
"Gee, I hope I damage the poor thing too badly," Cassie said.  
"Don't worry about it; that's what Poke Centers are for, remember?" Rick asked.  
Richie interrupted by throwing a Poke Ball and saying, "Go, Hsien-Ko!"  
A blue-skinned woman in a Chinese outfit with claws appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Hsien-Ko. She is a character from an Earth video game series called Darkstalkers. She is a Chinese ghost. She has the ability to summon objects to throw at her opponents, toss a large bomb that can be kicked around, reflect projectles by ringing a gong, and make spikes come up from the ground. She is also adept with her claws."  
"Hsien-Ko, makes spikes come up from the ground!" Richie said.  
Hsien Ko made a motion towards the floor.  
Suddenly, spikes began to come up from the ground.  
And the spikes were _huge_!  
"Cassie, fly high!" Rick said.  
Cassie flew high into the air, above the spikes.  
Hsien-Ko began to toss things at Cassie.  
They were things like knives, daggers, and even a miniature statue.  
But Rick's training paid off once again, and Cassie was able to avoid them.  
"Cassie, breathe fire at Hsien-Ko!" Rick shouted.  
Cassie breathed fire at Hsien-Ko, but Hsien-Ko pulled out a gong and rung it.  
Sound waves came out from the gong, and the sound waves deflected the fire back at Cassie.  
Cassie was blasted by her own fire, knocked backwards.  
"Now finish her off with a bomb!" Richie said.  
Hsien-Ko pulled out a bomb and tossed it to the floor.  
The bomb had a timer counting down.  
"Uh-oh, this could be trouble for either Pokewoman!" the announcer said. "When that bomb explodes, there's going to be trouble."  
Hsien-Ko kicked the bomb at Cassie.  
Cassie kicked it back at Hsien-Ko.  
Soon they were playing "hot potato" of sorts.  
Rick got lucky.  
The bomb exploded shortly after one of the times Cassie kicked it at Hsien-Ko.  
Hsien-Ko, therefore, was caught in the resulting explosion.  
When the smoke cleared...Hsien-Ko was unconscious.  
"Hsien-Ko is unable to continue the battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
"Oh my goodness! This is totally unbelievable!" the announcer shouted. "Somehow Cassie has actually managed to defeat another opponent."  
Rick was really mad now. Why couldn't the announcer realize that characters from little kids' shows could be trained to fight just like any other Pokewomen?  
Well, if Cassie could defeat Richie's third Pokewoman, that would show that stupid announcer _and_ the audience never to make fun of Cassie again.  
As if on cue, one audience member says, "What, has Dragon Land been teaching fight lessons now? I thought you couldn't hit anyone in Dragon Land!"  
"Go, Dark Queen!" Richie said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A woman with black hair who looked like a stereotypical "biker chick" appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Dark Queen. This is a character from a series of Earth video games called Battletoads. She has the ability to turn into a green tornado, is an expert at knee attacks, and can transform into a small flame. She is a villain."  
"And Richie has chosen Dark Queen!" The announcer said. "This is an obscure Pokewoman, to say the least, but oh well. She couldn't be any more obscure than Cassie is."  
"Shut up!" Rick shouted at him.  
Dark Queen leaped at Cassie and slammed a knee into her.  
Then she did another knee attack, knocking Cassie into the ground.  
"Now transform into the flame!" Richie said.  
Dark Queen sunk into the ground, reappearing as a very small flame.  
She went under Cassie, burning her.  
Cassie flew into the air to escape the flame.  
"Now turn into a green tornado!" Richie said.  
Dark Queen transformed back into human form.  
She then began to spin rapidly.  
Faster and faster she spun, until eventually she spun so fast she turned into a tornado.  
Granted, it was a human sized tornado. And granted, it didn't have any actual wind.  
But it did have a lot of attack power.  
As the green tornado, Dark Queen slammed into Cassie, knocking her backwards.  
Then the green tornado that was Dark Queen jumped into the air, landing on top of her.  
"Ooh, this doesn't look good for Cassie!" the announcer said. "Dark Queen is relentless! She's obviously earned the right to be called a 'villain'. At least to my trained eye."  
Rick smirked. The announcer was gonna wish he hadn't mentioned the word 'eye'.  
Because now Rick was reminded that every tornado had an 'eye of the storm' where everything was calm.  
If Rick could get Cassie to attack the center of the tornado without hitting the sides, he could win.  
"Cassie, you need to fly higher! Try flying high enough that Dark Queen can't reach you!" Rick said.  
"Ok..." Cassie said uncertainly.  
She flew straight up.  
And she kept going.  
Eventually she flew high enough that she could barely even be seen.  
As Rick predicted, the green tornado that Dark Queen had become couldn't jump high enough to reach Cassie.  
"Now charge straight down! Head into the 'eye of the storm' and ram into her!" Rick said. "As high as you are, you should be able to fly fast enough to pack a punch!"  
Cassie charged downwards, reminding Rick of a meteorite falling to Earth.  
Cassie picked up speed, and there was a screeching noise as she dived downward like a falcon, proving again that Rick's pre-League training had paid off.  
Eventually Cassie flew smack down the middle of the tornado, and her speed was such that when she crashed into Dark Queen, there was a loud _crack__.  
The tornado stopped, revealing Dark Queen to be standing still, her body in shock from the impact.  
Then Dark Queen collapsed, unconscious.  
"Dark Queen is unable to continue the battle! The winner of the match is the Red trainer, Rick from Pallet Town!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it to Rick.  
The audience cheered, and Cassie looked as happy as Rick had ever seen her.  
Rick noticed that her Dragon Badge was glowing.  
Rick remembered how, when he had first met Cassie, the Pokedex had said that Cassie's Dragon Badge glowed whenever she was feeling confident.  
And Cassie had just beaten three Pokewoman and helped her trainer win the match.  
That __had_ to be a confidence booster.  
"Great job, Cassie!" Rick said, recalling Cassie.  
"Well, folks, I may have been a little..._hasty_...in my comments," the announcer admitted.  
"Hasty?! You said Cassie had no chance of winning!" Rick said angrily, as Richie walked off. Richie didn't storm off, so he seemed to be a better loser than the other opponents Rick had beaten. "You discriminated against Cassie just because she was from a little kids' show! You embarassed her, and you owe her an apology!"  
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Yeesh," the announcer said.  
Five down, two to go, Rick thought...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	28. Sixth Match: Semifinal

Journey of Pokewomen Part 28: Sixth Match: Semifinal  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's fifth match, and Rick had already pseudo-randomly selected an opponent for the sixth round of the Indigo League.  
Now that it was the sixth round, he could use all six Pokewomen instead of just three.  
It turned out he would be fighting against someone named Assunta.  
In fact, he was standing on the red platform in the Indigo Stadium right now. Rick had been chosen to be the Red trainer again.  
Assunta was the Green trainer. She had blue hair and a red shirt. (Author's Note: Yes, this _is_ the same Assunta that defeated Richie in the Pokemon show.)  
"And now, a sixth round Indigo League match is about to begin!" the announcer said. "The winner of this match will go on to face the winner of another match in the final round!"  
"You must be pretty tough to make it this far," Rick said.  
"You too," Assunta said. "I'll warn you right now, I specialize in Pokewomen that are crosses between human and animal. The combination of instincts that results has resulted in my victory more than once."  
"Don't get cocky," Rick said.  
For this match, Rick decided to use the one Pokewoman that, so far, he hadn't used in the Indigo League.  
"Go, Inque!" Rick said, sending out Inque.  
"And Rick has chosen to send out Inque!" the announcer said. "What Pokewoman will Assunta use to counter this ink-like opponent?"  
"Go, Amy Rose!" Assunta said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A pink hedgehog wearing red clothes that walked on two legs appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Amy Rose. This is a character from a series of Earth video games called Sonic the Hedgehog. She looks helpless, but is actually adept with a hammer."  
Indeed, Amy Rose was carrying a hammer.  
"Assunta has chosen Amy Rose!" the announcer said. "Now, let the battle begin!"  
Amy Rose leaped at Inque and swung the hammer.  
Inque merely formed into an in puddle, so when the hammer hit her, it had no effect.  
Then, Inque formed into a hammer of her own, and repeatedly bashed Amy Rose in the head with it.  
Eventually, Amy fell, unconscious, and Inque formed back into her real self.  
"Amy Rose is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Assunta's lights went out.  
"Well that was a quick victory," the announcer said, as the audience laughed, and as Assunta recalled Amy Rose.  
"I just wanted to get Amy Rose out of the way so I could use my more powerful Pokewomen," Assunta said.  
She then threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Rouge!"  
A cross between a bat and a human appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Rouge. This is a character from an Earth video game called Sonic Adventure 2. She can glide, and is extremely adept in kicking attacks. She is also very fond of money."  
"This loser should pose no problem," Inque said, extending an ink tentacle at Rouge.  
Rouge ducked the tentacle and rushed at Inque.  
Inque found herself on the receiving end of dozens of kicks.  
"Looks like Rouge is certainly an adept kicker," the announcer said.  
Inque, however, didn't look like she was taking much damage from the kicks.  
"Inque takes the licking, and Rouge keeps on kicking!" the announcer said.  
Rouge was getting frustrated.  
Finally, Inque decided to fight back.  
She slammed an ink hammer down, but Rouge flipped away, gliding backwards to safety.  
Rouge was certainly a tougher fighter than Amy Rose had been, but that was only because Assunta hadn't bothered to train Amy Rose well.  
No wonder Assunta had wanted Amy Rose out of the way. If all of Assunta's more powerful Pokewomen were knocked unconscious, Assunta would have been left with only a not-very-well-trained Pokewoman.  
Finally, Rouge made a mistake.  
Rouge launched a jump kick at Inque, and Inque caught her in an ink tentacle.  
Inque repeatedly slammed Rouge into the ground with the tentacle.  
And unlike when Rouge had kicked Inque repeatedly, Rouge _was_ taking damage from the attacks.  
Eventually Rouge was slammed into the ground headfirst.  
The impact knocked Rouge unconscious.  
"Rouge is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, another one of Assunta's lights went out.  
"This was a little longer, but Inque nevertheless has come out victorious!" the announcer said.  
"This one won't be so easy," Assunta said.  
She threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Queen Bee!"  
A cross between a human and a bee came out.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Queen Bee. Also known as Q-Bee. She is from a series of Earth video games called Darkstalkers. She is actually from a race of people like her, and most of her attacks are bee-related. She is not to be underestimated."  
Queen Bee flew at Inque and repeatedly stuck her tail stinger out at Inque.  
Inque slithered out of the way of each strike.  
Inque slapped Queen Bee repeatedly with an ink tentacle, but then Queen Bee flew high into the air.  
She came down at Inque, tail stinger outstretched, but Inque formed into an ink puddle, and Queen Bee sailed over her.  
Then, Inque formed back into her real self.  
Suddenly, Queen Bee glowed blue, and she grabbed Inque.  
For some _odd_ reason, Inque was transformed into an extremely large egg.  
In fact, the egg was human-sized.  
Queen Bee fell over and disappeared.  
Then, to Rick's amazement, she _hatched out of the egg_!  
Then the egg transformed back into Inque, who was understandably very dazed.  
"What the _heck_?!" Rick screamed.  
"Well that was...weird," the announcer said. "But it seems to have worked, and Inque has lost her bearings."  
Then Queen Bee flashed lots of colors, and an extremely large globe of honey appeared in her hands.  
She threw it at Inque, and since Inque was still trying to get her bearings, she got hit by the honey.  
Now Inque was trapped.  
The honey hardened solidified around Inque, trapping her even further.  
"Assunta has come up with a brilliant strategy!" the announcer said. "With Inque now solidified along with the honey, Queen-Bee's further attacks won't simply be absorbed by Inque as Rouge's hits were. Now Queen Bee can actually do some damage!"  
Queen Bee proceeded to do that.  
She repeatedly struck Inque with her tail stinger, and Inque looked to be in some pain.  
Finally the honey disappeared, apparently having only been there temporarily.  
"Inque, now's your chance! Get her!" Rick shouted.  
Inque transformed into a tidal wave of ink.  
The tidal wave smashed into Queen Bee, slamming her against the wall with lots of force.  
Queen Bee was knocked unconscious.  
"Queen Bee is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, another one of Assunta's lights went out.  
"All right! Folks, it seems that Inque has managed to achieve a comeback victory!" the announcer said.  
Assunta recalled Queen Bee.  
"Let's see how you handle this one..." she said.  
Assunta threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Polly Esther!"  
A cross between a cat and a human, leaning more toward cat, wearing pink armor, appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Polly Esther. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Samurai Pizza Cats. She appears sweet and docile, but in reality she has a violent temper. However, she is a heroine, and is a loyal Pokewoman. She is adept at martial arts, has a sword, can use her claws well, and can toss "love" bombs that are shaped like hearts but explode like any other bombs. As a miscellaneous skill, she is an expert flute player."  
"Assunta has chosen Polly Esther!" the announcer said. "Something tells me this is no ordinary kitty."  
"Inque, rush at her!" Rick shouted.  
Inque rushed at Polly.  
Polly, however, neatly back-flipped out of the way. Then she did a back-handspring, only to push off with her hands and end up doing a jump kick towards Inque.  
The force of the blow knocked Inque back a centimeter, but Inque took no damage.  
Inque tried to grab Polly with an ink tentacle, but Polly tucked into a ball, rolled under the tentacle, and came up swinging her sword at Inque.  
The sword sliced through the ink that Inque was made up of, but Inque simply reformed the ink.  
Assunta flipped out her Pokedex while this was going on and pointed it at Inque.  
Rick strained to hear what her Pokedex said, but Assunta was too far away.  
When Assunta's Pokedex was done speaking, Assunta put it away.  
"Polly, I think we need a _human_ solution," Assunta said.  
Polly was confused.  
"You know, it would be _humane_ to beat this monster," Assunta said.  
Polly was still confused.  
Rick wondered what the heck Assunta was talking about. She sure was putting weird emphasis on the word "human".  
Then Rick was hit with a wave of realization.  
Too late, though, so was Polly.  
"Hey, Inque, you think you're _so_ tough, fighting me as some ink monster," Polly taunted. "But that's all you are! A monster! You couldn't pass for human if you tried!"  
"Wanna bet, squirt?" Inque asked rhetorically.  
"No, don't do it!" Rick said. "It's a trick!"  
But it was too late.  
Inque had already formed into human form.  
"_Sucker_!" Polly said, tossing a "love" bomb.  
The bomb hit Inque at point-blank range and exploded.  
As the ink form Inque might have had a chance, but Rick had never had Inque battle in human form before, having never seen the need.  
Inque was blasted into unconsciousness.  
"Inque is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
"Well, folks, it seems that Assunta's Pokedex gave her the information she needed to combat the fearsome Inque!" the announcer said. "And the fact that Polly has such dexterity, speed, and grace didn't hurt, either. Does Rick have anything in his arsenal that can handle the ferocious feline?"  
Rick thought that if Polly was so agile, she had to be stopped in her tracks for Rick to win.  
And Rick happened to have someone perfect for stopping people in their tracks.  
"Go, Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Rick has chosen Birdie!" the announcer said. "Can Birdie stop the agile Polly Esther?"  
"Trap her in a black ball!" Rick said.  
Birdie concentrated, and suddenly Polly was trapped in a black ball.  
Polly, however, simply used her sword to cut her way out.  
Polly then jumped into the air and dived at Birdie.  
Polly landed on Birdie, punching her repeatedly.  
"We need a distraction! Some shards should do the trick," Rick said.  
Birdie flung some ice shards in Polly's face.  
The ice shards cut Polly's face.  
Polly clutched her face in pain, jumping off of Birdie.  
"Now's your chance! Freeze her!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice at Polly.  
Polly was in too much pain to avoid the ice, and she was frozen.  
"Polly is unable to battle!" the referee said.  
On the scoreboard, another one of Assunta's lights went out.  
"Looks like Birdie was the right choice after all!" the announcer said. "Now that Assunta's facing a different Pokewoman, she must adapt her strategy."  
Assunta recalled Birdie.  
"My second most powerful Pokewoman should be enough to take care of this one," Assunta said.  
She threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Sonson!"  
A monkey/girl cross carrying a staff appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Sonson. This is a character from an Earth video game called Marvel Versus Capcom 2. Her moves are unorthodox, but she is not to be underestimated. When well-trained, she can become a fighter highly feared simply because of her unorthodox fighting methods."  
"Ok, so this one isn't as easy to beat as she looks," Rick said. "Birdie, some ice shards, please."  
Birdie threw some ice shards at Sonson.  
But Sonson, using her monkey-like agility, flipped over the shards and whacked Birdie a few times with her stick, flipping away afterwards.  
Birdie rushed in and dealt Sonson a few punches, but Sonson dealt Birdie a few kicks.  
Soon they were punching, kicking, and staff-hitting (in Sonson's case) in a "cat-fight".  
Eventually they both jumped away from each other.  
"Trap her in a black bubble!" Rick said.  
Birdie concentrated, but as she was concentrating, Sonson pulled out some sort of weird object that could be a sack or a bottle, and rushed up to Birdie.  
She trapped Birdie in the object, and then suddenly pulled a pot with boiling water out from thin air.  
Sonson put the object with Birdie inside in the pot.  
"What the heck is going on?" the announcer asked.  
The object turned red, and then exploded, taking the pot with it.  
Birdie was flung free, damaged a little by the explosion. "Come on! Freeze her!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice at Sonson.  
Suddenly the arena seemed to flash for a second.  
Then, Sonson transformed into a giant walking-upright freakin' _ape_!  
What was worse, the ape started breathing fire!  
The fire melted the ice, and Birdie had to scramble to get out of the way.  
The ape then transformed back into Sonson.  
Then, Sonson threw her stick into the air, and the arena seemed to flash for a second again.  
Suddenly the stick that was in the air grew _gigantic_!  
One end of it smashed down on Birdie, and then the stick transformed back into normal size.  
"**OWWWWWWW**!" Birdie screamed.  
"It's not over yet!" Assunta said.  
Sonson dashed close to Birdie, and then, yet again, the arena seemed to flash for a second.  
Then, she screamed, "**POW**!"  
Then, the word "POW" literally came out of her mouth. It was yellow.  
The word hit Birdie, and then something that would freak Rick out for a very long time happened.  
Right before everyone's eyes, Birdie was transformed into a gigantic _fruit_!  
Then, Sonson proceeded to _eat_ the fruit!  
Sonson picked a seed out of her teeth, and the seed transformed into Birdie, who was extremely dazed and confused.  
"What the _heck/i>?!" Rick screamed.  
The audience wondered what the heck had just happened, too.  
"Well...um...that was a very...__unique_...move," the announcer said.  
Birdie then recovered her senses.  
"Now, rush in and finish her off!" Assunta said.  
Sonson rushed in again, but this time Birdie shot some ice.  
Sonson skidded to a stop, but this time it was too late.  
Sonson was frozen.  
"Sonson is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, Assunta's second-to-last light went out.  
"Well, that's one battle that will be remembered for a very long time," the announcer said. "Now Assunta has only one Pokewoman left. I hope she saved her best for last."  
"I certainly did," Assunta said.  
She threw her last Poke Ball and said, "Go, Felicia!"  
Another cross between a human and a cat appeared. Unlike Polly Esther, though, this one was more human than cat.  
And this one wasn't wearing any clothes. Her private parts were covered by fur, and in the case of her twin mounds of feminine excellence, not very much fur.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Felicia. This is a character from a series of Earth video games called Darkstalkers. Her instincts are mostly human, but she fights more like a cat. As a miscellaneous skill, she is an excellent singer."  
Rick had to restrain himself from making a perverted comment, reminding himself that it would be immature to do so.  
The announcer did the same.  
The male members of the audience (and the homosexual female members, which were few and far between), however, had no such conscience.  
"Yeah, baby!" someone said.  
"Rowr!" someone else said.  
"Hey, babe!" some other wiseacre said.  
Felicia and Assunta were pretty miffed at the audience.  
Birdie seemed indifferent.  
"Will you just battle me already?" Birdie said.  
"I'll be happy to oblige!" Felicia said. "I'm not Assunta's most powerful Pokewoman for nothing!"  
With that, in a show of blinding speed, Felicia rushed at Birdie.  
Before Birdie could even blink, she was being pummeled by dozens and dozens of punches, kicks, and scratches.  
And Felicia was merciless.  
Rick couldn't believe how _fast_ she was.  
Felicia didn't let up.  
She kept on attacking.  
Birdie had been caught by surprise and was now unable to defend herself.  
Rick groaned.  
Felicia really _was_ Assunta's most powerful Pokewoman.  
It was over in a minute.  
Birdie slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
"Birdie is unable to battle!" the referee said.  
"And now Birdie has been defeated!" the announcer said. "What Pokemon will Rick choose to battle this ferocious feline?"  
"Go, Pixie!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
"Rick has chosen Pixie!" the announcer said.  
Pixie flew high into the air. _Very_ high.  
Felicia tried to use her cat-like reflexes to jump high enough to reach Pixie.  
But Pixie had flown too high.  
"No fair!" Felicia said, pouting.  
Pixie aimed a sonic blast down at Felicia.  
It was no contest. Felicia was knocked unconscious.  
"Felicia is unable to battle! The winner of the match is the Red trainer, Rick!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it to Rick.  
On the scoreboard, Assunta's final light went out.  
"Rick wins the match!" the announcer said, as the audience cheered. "He is now one of the two challengers who will face each other in the final round of the Indigo League!"  
Rick knew he still had one more step to go before he could become a Pokewoman master, and if he failed...he wouldn't get another chance for another _year_...  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


	29. Final Match: End Of The Story

Journey of Pokewomen Part 29: Final Match: End Of The Story  
by Martial Arts Master  
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.  
  
***  
  
It was the day after Rick's sixth match, and Rick would now participate in the final match of the Pokewomen League.  
And to tell the truth, Rick was sweating profusely.  
Whoever his opponent was going to be, he or she would have to have been _extremely_ tough to have made it this far. Just like in the sixth match, both opponents could use six Pokewomen instead of three in this final match.  
Whoever won this match would win the entire Indigo League and become a Pokewomen Master.  
Rick was standing on the Red platform again, having once again been chosen to be the Red trainer.  
He chanced to look over to his left and gasped.  
There were his parents, in the front row!  
"What are _you_ doing here?!" Rick asked.  
"We decided that during this particular match, just watching you on TV wouldn't do you justice," his father said.  
"Do your best, honey!" his mother called.  
Rick groaned. It was bad enough that there was a chance he would be humiliated in front of this audience if he lost.  
Now, if he lost, he'd be humiliated in front of his _parents_...  
Of course, the surprise of seeing them there was nothing compared to the surprise Rick got when his opponent walked out and onto the green platform.  
"You!" Rick said. "A.J., how'd you make it all the way to the final round?"  
Indeed, there was A.J. standing there. A.J. had been the first opponent Rick had ever lost to, and at the time, A.J. had been undefeated.  
"Well, I'm still undefeated," A.J. said. "In all the time I've trained Pokewomen, I've never lost a single match. Pokewomen, maybe, but never a match."  
Rick knew he was in deep trouble. If A.J. had still never lost a match, how could Rick hope to win?  
But he had to try.  
"And now, the final Indigo League match is underway," the announcer said. "Whoever wins this match not only gets the title of Pokewomen Master, but he also gets access to a secret so closely kept, that not even _I_ know what it is! Now, let the battle begin!"  
"Go, Inque!" Rick said, sending out Inque.  
"Curare, go!" A.J. said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A woman in Arabian-style battle dress appeared, holding two swords.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Curare. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Batman Beyond. She is a villain, and she is an expert with her swords."  
Curare gave a battle cry and rushed at Inque.  
Curare slashed furiously with her swords, but all they ended up doing was cutting ink off of Inque, who simply reformed them back onto her.  
Inque then slammed Curare into the ground with an ink tentacle repeatedly.  
Curare threw a sword at Inque, which caused Inque to try to dodge.  
The act of dodging caused the tentacle to be dislodged from Curare, and Curare leaped over Inque's head, picking the sword up again.  
Then Curare rushed at Inque again, this time going for the head, and once again slashing repeatedly.  
Inque knocked Curare backwards with an ink hammer, but Curare got up and rushed at Inque again.  
This Pokewoman was _relentless_!  
"Geez Louise, what's up with this one?" Rick asked no one in particular.  
"I train all my Pokewomen to be ferocious fighters," A.J. said, deciding to answer Rick's question even though Rick hadn't been speaking to him. "I put them through extremely tough training regimes, but they pay off. Since I'm tougher on my Pokewomen than most trainers are, but since I still manage to get their loyalty, that makes me good enough to have gotten this far."  
Meanwhile, Curare was still slashing away.  
Again, all Curare succeeded in doing was cutting ink off of Inque, who simply reformed the ink back onto her.  
Inque finally got bored and kicked Curare upside the head.  
Curare was knocked out.  
"Curare is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of A.J.'s lights went out.  
"Actually, that didn't seem like too difficult a victory to achieve," the announcer said. "But knowing most trainers, this was probably A.J.'s weakest. Those of you who want this to get interesting had better hope A.J.'s next Pokewoman is tougher."  
"Granity, go!" A.J. said, throwing another Poke Ball.  
A Pokewoman who looked like Pixie appeared, except this one had green hair instead of red, and she was grey where Pixie was green.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Granity. This is a character from an Earth TV show and a couple of video games called Monster Rancher. She is a crossbreed between a Pixie and a Golem, with Pixie as the main breed. She is capable of doing anything that a purebreed Pixie can do."  
"Hey loser, eat this!" Inque said.  
Inque rushed at Granity.  
Granity, however, nimbly flew into the air, flying behind Inque.  
Granity blasted Inque from behind with a big bang attack.  
Inque stumbled a bit. Although she wasn't vulnerable to physical attacks, she didn't handle non-physical attacks too well.  
Well, Rick thought, at least she isn't capable of a water attack. That would _really_ be disastrous for Inque.  
"Inque, grab her with an ink tentacle!" Rick said.  
Inque tried to grab Granity with an ink tentacle, but Granity shocked the tentacle with lightning, and the tentacle drew back.  
Then, Granity blasted Inque with a sonic blast, knocking Inque unconscious.  
"Inque is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
"It appears that Granity was the right choice!" the announcer said. "Does Rick have anything up his sleeve that can combat Granity?"  
Rick recalled Inque.  
"Go, Pixie!" Rick said, sending out Pixie.  
"Wow, Pixie looks a little like Granity! They must be related or something," the announcer quipped.  
Rick flipped open his Pokedex and looked something up. He was looking up at least one difference between Pixie and Granity.  
The Pokedex said, "One major difference between Pixie and Granity is that Pixie is better at speed and skill, but Granity is better at power, at least in her physical attacks, and is also better at defense. In non-physical attacks, Pixie and Granity are about the same strength."  
Rick had his strategy. He'd try to use Pixie's superior speed to avoid Granity's superior power. That shouldn't be a problem. Rick took "skill" to mean accuracy, and since Granity was worse in accuracy, Pixie should be able to avoid Granity. Then, Pixie could use her superior accuracy to land a bunch of speedy hits.  
Rick just hoped it would work.  
Apparently A.J. knew about Granity's superior physical attack power, for his next order was not for Granity to use lightning, a big bang, a fire wall, or the sonic blast, but instead, "Granity, kick her!"  
Granity flew into the air, as did Pixie.  
Granity dived at Pixie with a leg outstretched, but Pixie flew out of the way.  
Granity chased Pixie, trying to kick her, but Pixie kept flying out of the way.  
Then, Pixie dived at Granity, hitting her with a bunch of kicks.  
They didn't do a lot of damage, considering Granity's superior defense.  
Also, Granity was able to connect with a slap to Pixie's face.  
As Pixie reeled from the blow, Granity kicked her in the back, sending her spiraling to the ground.  
But Pixie flew back up again.  
"Wow, this reminds me of an aerial dogfight!" the announcer said.  
Pixie began to rely on speed, racing around Granity and repeatedly slapping and kicking Granity.  
Granity grabbed Pixie's leg and tossed her away, only to have Pixie recover in mid-air and then dive at Granity.  
Pixie slammed into Granity and sent them both spiraling to the ground.  
Pixie landed on top of Granity, which got a few comments from the perverts in the audience.  
Pixie leaped off of Granity, flew into the air again, and sent lightning down at her.  
Granity, despite being slow, was able to roll out of the way, flying upwards at Pixie.  
Pixie did a loop-the-loop in the air, and Granity went right past her.  
Then, Pixie aimed a sonic blast at Granity's behind.  
The blast knocked Granity to the ground.  
Apparently the earlier repeated slaps and kicks had taken their toll on even Granity's good defense, and Granity was unconcsious.  
"Granity is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of A.J.'s lights went out.  
"Looks like the purebreed beat the crossbreed!" the announcer said.  
A.J. recalled Granity.  
"Buttercup, go!" A.J. said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A five-year-old black-haired girl wearing green clothes came out.  
The weird thing was, she was _hovering_ in mid-air.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Buttercup. This is a character from an Earth TV show called the Powerpuff Girls. Buttercup was created when a professor named Professor Utonium tried to create the 'perfect little girl', but got Chemical X mixed in it by accident, and Buttercup was just one of the three Powerpuff Girls that formed as a result. Buttercup is the tough one, and is physically stronger than the other two. However, she is not as smart. She used to be insecure without her blanket, but she has since given the blanket away, and now she has no insecurities. She is a ferocious fighter, and makes an extremely dangerous opponent because she has the experience of having battled countless monsters that were mostly many times bigger than whole buildings. She _loves_ to fight. Her abilities include flying, super speed, eye beams, and the ability to create a ball of fire by rubbing her hands together and using the friction to create the fireball." (Author's Note: Buttercup could do the ball of fire trick in the "Mo Job" episode.)  
"A.J. has chosen Buttercup!" the announcer said. "She may be five years old, but she packs a powerful punch!"  
Indeed, Pixie soon found that out when Buttercup suddenly flew at Pixie with amazing speed, punching her in the midsection.  
Rick could hardly believe it. Buttercup had seemed to move so fast that she left a trail of green light behind her.  
He supposed all three Powerpuff Girls could do that, but still...  
While Pixie was recovering from the blow, Buttercup punched her rapidly, aiming some blows at her head, others at her chest, and others at her legs.  
Then Buttercup delivered a powerful downward strike, sending Pixie hurtling towards the ground.  
Buttercup still wasn't finished.  
Buttercup zipped downward after Pixie, catching her in mid-air and then pile-driving her into the ground.  
Rick grimaced. Buttercup sure loved to fight, all right.  
"Try a sonic blast!" Rick said.  
Pixie concentrated for the sonic blast, but Buttercup started beating her up again with rapid blows, and the sonic blast misfired harmlessly into the air.  
Then Buttercup grabbed Pixie and began winding up for a punch.  
Pixie used this opportunity to blast Buttercup with lightning.  
Buttercup, caught off guard, was thrown back, allowing Pixie to fly higher into the air. Pixie was hoping to put some distance between herself and Buttercup, having found out the hard way that Buttercup was dangerous up close.  
Pixie fired a big bang attack, but Buttercup simply flew to the side, dodging it.  
Then Buttercup zipped forward, slamming Pixie's head into the wall.  
The sheer force of the blow knocked Pixie unconscious, making Rick realize the extent of Buttercup's strength.  
"Pixie is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
"It looks like this particular Pokewoman's a little firecracker in battle!" the announcer said. "They say little girls are made of 'sugar, spice, and everything nice', and this girl must be the 'spice'."  
Rick recalled Pixie.  
"Go, Birdie!" Rick said, sending out Birdie.  
"Rick has chosen Birdie, the Sailor Moon formerly-a-villain with ice powers!" the announcer said. "Can Birdie put the freeze on Buttercup, or will Buttercup prove to be too hot to handle?"  
"Birdie, freeze her!" Rick said.  
Birdie shot some ice at Buttercup, but Buttercup formed a fireball and threw it, melting the ice and hitting Birdie.  
As Birdie stumbled back, Buttercup zipped forward and delivered a couple of lightning-fast punches.  
Birdie fell, apparently struggling to stand up.  
Rick couldn't believe it. Was Birdie really that weak on defense?  
"Ha! You can't beat me!" Buttercup boasted, slowly flying above Birdie to deliver the finishing blow.  
"_Sucker_!" Birdie said, suddenly shooting ice at Buttercup.  
Buttercup was caught off guard just like when Pixie had blasted her with lightning, and Buttercup was frozen.  
"Buttercup is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of A.J.'s lights went out.  
"Birdie has put the freeze on Buttercup!" the announcer said as A.J. recalled Buttercup.  
"Darn! That was my few Pokewomen who actually _enjoyed_ all my rough training instead of simply suffering it in silence," A.J. said.  
Then he threw a Poke Ball and said, "Ms. Hinako, go!"  
A cute young girl in yellow clothes appeared. She was holding a coin.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Ms. Hinako. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Ranma 1/2. She is a young girl, but using a special technique with her coin, she can use an opponent's energy to become an adult with the ability to fire powerful energy blasts. The effect is temporary, however."  
"A.J. has chosen Ms. Hinako!" the announcer said. "Can this girl beat the one who defeated a Powerpuff Girl?"  
"No way! Birdie, throw ice shards at her!" Rick said.  
Birdie threw ice shards at Ms. Hinako, but Ms. Hinako ducked and rolled under them.  
Then, she held her coin up and said something in Japanese that Rick didn't understand.  
Suddenly the coin began to glow, and it sapped Birdie's energy out of her.  
Soon, Birdie got tired, and Ms. Hinako suddenly grew to adulthood.  
"Now, get rid of her!" A.J. said.  
Ms. Hinako fired multiple energy blasts at Birdie.  
Since Birdie had been drained of energy, she was too weak to avoid them.  
Under the barrage of energy blasts, Birdie soon fainted.  
"Birdie is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
"That was quick!" the announcer said, as Rick recalled Birdie. "Let's hope Rick's next Pokewoman has better luck, or this match is going to get boring."  
Soon, Ms. Hinako shrank back into a young girl.  
Rick formed a plan, but it was risky on a couple of points. If this plan failed, Rick didn't have much of a chance.  
"Go, Saria!" Rick said, sending out Saria.  
"Rick has chosen Saria, the Forest Sage!" the announcer said. "This could get interesting, considering the powers that being the Forest Sage gives Saria."  
"You know what to do," A.J. told Ms. Hinako.  
Ms. Hinako nodded.  
She held up her coin and again said something in Japanese that Rick didn't understand.  
The coin, as before, started draining energy. But this time Rick knew that was coming.  
"Saria, start gathering energy from the sunlight! That will compensate for the energy being drained from you by the coin!" Rick said.  
Saria, a little weak, complied.  
She started gathering energy from the sunlight.  
Rick's months of training that had taken place before the Indigo League paid off.  
Saria was gathering energy from the sunlight faster than Ms. Hinako's coin could drain it.  
Before Ms. Hinako could grow to adulthood, Saria gathered enough energy for an energy blast.  
She fired a green energy blast at Ms. Hinako.  
Since Ms. Hinako hadn't yet grown to adulthood, she had no defenses against the blast.  
Ms. Hinako was blown into the wall, unconscious.  
"Ms. Hinako is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
One the scoreboard, one of A.J.'s lights went out.  
"Saria has beaten Ms. Hinako with the same strategy Ms. Hinako herself used! Talk about irony!" the announcer said.  
A.J. recalled Ms. Hinako.  
"Stormella, go!" A.J. said, throwing a Poke Ball.  
A slightly overweight woman in a white-and-blue outfit with an ice wand appeared.  
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.  
The Pokedex said, "Stormella. This is a character from a movie called Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie. She used to be a villain, but has now reformed. She controls ice and snow with her wand."  
With that, Stormella pointed her wand at Saria and shot an ice beam at her.  
Saria grew some plants to block the beam, and the plants ended up being frozen.  
From then on, Stormella kept trying to freeze Saria, but Saria kept blocking the beams with her plants.  
Then, Saria missed one, and she got frozen.  
"Saria is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
"That was a little too quick to be exciting," the announcer said. "Let's hope Rick's next Pokewoman is stronger than Saria."  
Rick had only two Pokewomen left.  
He could pick either Cassie or Anita.  
The choice was obvious. If someone could take that wand away, Stormella would be powerless.  
"Go, Anita!" Rick said, sending out Anita.  
"Rick has chosen Anita, a telekinetic and extremely silent little girl," the announcer said.  
Anita concentrated.  
There was a blue flash, and Stormella's wand suddenly flew out of her hand, cluttering across the arena floor.  
Then, there were lots of blue flashes, and Stormella was telekinetically brought up and down repeatedly, being smashed into the floor.  
Stormella was a hardy Pokewoman, however, and she was still conscious.  
Anita didn't let up, though. She kept telekinetically slamming Stormella into the ground.  
Finally she stopped, and Stormella thought Anita had decided to show mercy on her.  
Stormella thought wrong.  
Anita pointed her finger at Stormella.  
Suddenly dozens of dolls' heads flew at Stormella.  
Rick had a recollection of how, when he had first encountered Anita, the Pokedex had told him of Anita's Love For You attack, which consisted of dozens of dolls' heads flying at the opponent.  
This must be it.  
Stormella was helpless under the barrage.  
It was like being hit by hailstones.  
Finally Stormella collapsed, unconscious.  
"Stormella is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.  
"Amazing! Now A.J. is down to his last Pokewoman!" the announcer said. "Since Rick still has two Pokewomen left, I hope A.J.'s last Pokewoman is his most powerful one."  
"It sure is...Twinrova, go!" A.J. said, throwing his last Poke Ball.  
Twinrova appeared, and Rick remembered how, when he had first met A.J., Inque had lost miserably to Twinrova.  
Since Anita was a little girl, and since Twinrova was gigantic, Twinrova easily toward over Anita.  
"Show no mercy!" A.J. said.  
Indeed, Twinrova showed no mercy.  
Twinrova immediately lunged at Anita, punching and kicking her repeatedly.  
Twinrova knocked Anita into the air, and then sent fire after her.  
There was a blue flash, however, and the fire was diverted harmlessly into the air.  
But Twinrova proved she was A.J.'s most powerful Pokewoman by _immediately_ sending ice at Anita while Anita was still falling.  
The ice grazed Anita and froze part of her clothes.  
Anita fell to the ground, but since she was still conscious, and since she wasn't _completely_ frozen, she was still able to battle and therefore wasn't ruled out.  
But Twinrova wasn't done.  
She leaped at Anita again, punching and kicking.  
Soon Anita was brought to unconsciousness. Telekinetic she may have been, but physically she wasn't very good.  
"Anita is unable to battle!" the referee said, raising the green flag.  
On the scoreboard, one of Rick's lights went out.  
Rick recalled Anita, extremely nervous. He had only one Pokewoman left...  
"Go, Cassie!" Rick said, sending out the little pink dragon from Dragon Tales.  
A.J. flipped out his Pokedex, which said something that Rick couldn't hear, but was probably the same thing Rick's own Pokedex had told Rick when Rick had first found Cassie.  
"Oh my goodness! You have a Pokewoman that's from PBS Kids? You have a Pokewoman that's from a _little kids' show_?!" A.J. asked incredulously. Then he burst into laughter.  
"Jeez, the league is at stake and you send out that thing!" A.J. said, laughing so hard tears nearly came out of his eyes.  
The audience and the announcer weren't laughing, however.  
They had seen Rick's fifth match, and had learned that any Pokewoman could become good if well-trained.  
"All right, fans, this is it!" the announcer shouted, getting really excited. "The final showdown! The big finish! The finale! Each trainer has only one Pokewoman left, and this is the final round of the Indigo League! Whoever wins this battle wins the match, the league, and the right to have access to the most heavily guarded secret in the world! But that's not all that's at stake! A.J. was undefeated before this match. Can Rick break his undefeated streak, or will A.J. become the one Pokewoman Master that remains undefeated? Can Cassie prove to A.J. that even characters from little kids' shows can be competent if well-trained? This is so exciting!"  
Cassie now became nervous, trembling.  
Rick wanted to punch out the announcer.  
Rick remembered his Pokedex telling him that one of Cassie's faults was that she feared making a mistake.  
Now the announcer had callously put major pressure on her, for now she knew that if she lost at this point, it would be the biggest mistake in her life, considering what was at stake.  
But Rick had trained Cassie and the other Pokewomen for months before entering the Indigo League.  
Maybe Cassie could do it.  
(Author's Note: Imagine _extremely_ dramatic music playing here, like maybe the music that played in the Pokemon show when Ash's Pikachu battled Blaine's Magmar.)  
"Cassie, you need to tire Twinrova out! Keep flying away from it!" Rick said.  
At the same time, Twinrova lunged at Cassie.  
Cassie was fast, thanks to Rick's training, and managed to fly away.  
Soon, Twinrova was chasing Cassie around the field, with A.J. laughing all the while.  
Then Twinrova got _really_ nasty, shooting fire and ice at Cassie, sometimes combining fire and ice to make water.  
Cassie was really scared, thinking she couldn't stand up to this monster.  
Cassie, desperate, flew extremely high into the air.  
Now Twinrova couldn't reach her physically, but Twinrova could reach her with her fire and ice.  
She was _relentless_!  
Some fire grazed Cassie's left arm, and Cassie screamed.  
Rick thought that all Pokewomen had weaknesses. He hoped this one had one, too, as he flipped out his Pokedex.  
The Pokedex said, "Twinrova's only known weakness is that she is vulnerable to her own ice and fire. However, this is not proven to be her only weakness, as nobody has dared to attack her physically before."  
Rick had another risky plan.  
"Cassie, this is where the training's gonna come in handy! You need to create a whirlwind that can blow the ice and fire back at her!" Rick said.  
"Okay...I'll try..." Cassie said nervously.  
She started spinning around repeatedly.  
She slowly picked up speed, spinning faster and faster.  
She then picked up so much speed while spinning that she turned into a miniature whirlwind.  
The fire and ice Twinrova shot was blown back at her.  
Twinrova was hit by both shots, and she screamed in pain.  
But Cassie stopped spinning, tired by this effort.  
The next blow could knock either of them out.  
"Now, ram her! Do it as hard as you can, now that she's softened up!" Rick screamed.  
Cassie started to charge at Twinrova, picking up speed.  
Soon Cassie was whizzing through the air like an airborne battering ram, but Twinrova had recovered and drew her arm back, ready for a might punch?  
Which blow would connect first?  
The audience held their breath.  
The announcer held his breath.  
A.J. held his breath.  
Rick's parents held his breath.  
Rick himself held his breath...  
  
  
  
**_CRACK!_**  
  
  
  
That was the sound of Cassie ramming into Twinrova's stomach.  
Twinrova's eyes widened. Twinrova was stunned.  
Then, time seemed to slow down, as Twinrova finally toppled over.  
She fell...and she was unconscious.  
"Twinrova is unable to battle! The winner of the match and the league is Rick, from Pallet Town!" the referee said, raising the red flag and pointing it to Rick.  
"RICK WINS THE LEAGUE! RICK WINS THE LEAGUE! RICK WINS THE LEAGUE!" the announcer screamed, and there was a sound similar to jumping up and down.  
The audience cheered, Rick's parents cheering the loudest of all.  
Rick's eyes shone. He had achieved his dream.  
As for Cassie...you never saw such a look of relief and joy.  
A.J., meanwhile, looked absolutely shocked that his winning streak had been broken.  
Forlorn, he recalled Twinrova, then turned around to go back home.  
Then Cassie's fatigue got to her, and she flew low to the ground, curling up for a nap.  
"Good show, Cassie," Rick said softly, recalling her.  
  
Later...  
  
After lots of congratulatory hugs and kisses from his parents, and a surprise congratulations from Professor Oak, Rick was in the Indigo League hall of fame.  
Rick had called out all of his Pokewomen.  
So there were Saria, Pixie, Inque, Cassie, Birdie, and Anita standing there with Rick.  
There was one official, and he had just taken a photograph of Rick and his team.  
He set the photograph down in a glass booth in the Hall of Fame and closed it.  
Rick was now a Pokewomen Master, immortalized in the Hall of Fame along with his dream.  
Rick turned to his team, for without them this might not have happened.  
"So, what do you think now that you belong to a Pokewomen master?" Rick asked.  
"It's very nice!" Saria said. "I knew the first time I saw you after you chose me that you had this kind of potential."  
"You're not such a bad trainer after all," Pixie said.  
"You're no loser," Inque said reluctantly.  
"I can't believe this!" Cassie said with a big grin. "Even after I no longer belonged to Damian I never dreamed this could happen!"  
"Lookin' good, kid!" Birdie said, giving Rick a thumbs up.  
As for Anita, for the first time Rick had ever seen, she actually smiled.  
Apparently Rick had found the one thing that could break her emotionlessness.  
"Now for the other part," the official said. "Do you swear that what I am about to tell you will remain a secret?"  
"I do," Rick said, raising his right hand like a Boy Scout.  
"Here is the secret," the official said, and began.  
  
"You see," the offical began, "the secret is the origin of the Pokewomen themselves. We didn't used to have them in this world."  
"We didn't?" Rick asked, surprised.  
"No, we didn't," the official said. "In fact, we used to be a very uncivilized planet."  
The official took a deep breath, then continued.  
"There was anarchy everywhere...it was just horrible!" the official said. "The human race was in danger of extinction because we were so uncivilized."  
The official shuddered at the memory.  
"But then, quite by chance, we invented something that allowed us to see a planet in a parallel universe," the official continued. "That planet was Earth. The reason we invented what allowed us to discover it was because for all of our faults, our planet had extremely superior technology."  
At this the official looked more relaxed.  
"We then took a look into the kinds of TV shows and video games that this planet had," the official said. "The first we saw was something called Pokemon. Then, once we saw all the other TV shows abd video games, we realized that if we fashioned this world into a parody of that Pokemon show, we could become as much of a very-close-to-a-utopia as the Pokemon world was."  
The official looked very relaxed now.  
"So we invented something that could bring those characters to life as Pokewomen, and we infested this planet with them," the official said. "Then, we set up the Indigo League, the other leagues, and all the rules of Pokewomen training. With the responsibility and allure of Pokewomen to take care of, we quickly became the very-close-to-a-utopia that the Pokemon world was. The reason that this must be kept secret is that if word got out, people would think that we officials had no place revolutionizing the world, which of course is not true."  
Until that last sentence, the official had looked extremely proud at revolutionizing the world. But then he looked serious.  
"So you must never, _ever_, reveal the secret of the Pokewomen origin," the official said. "Only Pokewomen Masters are allowed to know, as well as us officials."  
"I swear I will never reveal the secret of the Pokewomen world," Rick said.  
"And your Pokewomen?" the official said warningly.  
"We swear, too!" the six Pokewomen said in unison.  
"Good. You may now leave, and because you are a Pokewomen Master, you will become a celebrity," the official said.  
With that, Rick and all of his Pokewomen leaped for joy.  
As they left, the official secretly took out a probe droid.  
He'd left something out of his tale.  
It was all true, but what he'd left out was that the officials had also invented and now sent out probe droids to secretly follow the Pokewomen Masters.  
If the Pokewomen Masters were about to divulge the secret, the probe droids would send out a special beam that would cause the Pokewomen Masters to change their minds.  
Rick was now one of those. He'd be followed by a probe droid, but in the official's opinion, that was a small price to pay for being immortalized as a Pokewomen Master...  
  
The End  
  
***  
  
Ladies and gentlemen, you have just witnessed a first. For the first time in the history of Fanfiction.net, a "new trainer" fic has _actually been completed in full_! And you all probably thought I wouldn't keep my promise to finish it, right? Well, on the downside, you're probably wondering why the story got boring at the final several chapters. That's because as I was writing the story, it got monotonous, and I kept losing resolve. I had to work very hard to summon the resolve needed to finish this story. I am _never_ going to make a commitment of this magnitude again. However, it was well worth it if I am to be the first to ever finish a "new trainer" fic. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com. 


End file.
